The Walls We Build
by xx-crispy-mnms-lover-xx
Summary: Two years has passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione are getting ready for their wedding, Harry’s a top auror and Ginny’s Britain’s favourite new quiddich player. But why do Harry and Ginny avoid each other like the plague? Eventual HP/GW
1. Chapter 1

**The Walls We Build.**

**  
Summary: Two years has passed since the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione are getting ready for their wedding, Harry's a top auror and Ginny's Britain's favourite new quiddich player. But why do Harry and Ginny avoid each other like the plague? And why is Harry so bitter? ...HP/GW... ...RW/HG...x**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 1.**

The Boy Who Lived moved slightly in his sleep, breathing deeply and tugging the pillow tighter into his grasp, causing the well defined muscles in his back to ripple slightly. In the past two years, Harry Potter has become almost unrecognisable as the scrawny seventeen year-old that saved the wizarding world. He'd taken up the muggle martial Taekwondo as well as auror training and running most mornings, turning his normally skinny frame into a body most men would dream of, perfectly proportioned, well muscled but not over the top body builder, wiry and lean. His hair had grown so it was messily sexy, always given that just-rolled-out-of-bed look that suited him so much. His face was more mature, stubble creeping out of his chin and much more defined features. But the place you saw the most change, one that made him almost unrecognisable, was his emerald orbs. To an outsider they were gorgeous, to someone who knew Harry they were guarded, cold, broken.

"Oi Potter!" A voice called, banging on his door, "We have to be at the pitch in half an hour!"

The voice of Joe Archfield woke Harry from his deep slumber, jerking the nineteen year old out of a dream that was only remembered as being pleasant. Joe was a fellow auror and was a year and a half older than Harry, not that he showed or acted it, and had moved in after Ron and Hermione had moved in together a year ago.

"Harry get up!" Joe called once again, walking into the small kitchen and pulling out a bowl and the cereal.

"I'm up!" Harry called back, rolling out of bed and stumbling into the shower.

...

"Ginny you'll be fine!" Hermione tried to calm down her best friend to no avail.

"It's the final!" Ginny repeated for what seemed the hundredth time that morning ever since Ginny's roommate and teammate had messaged her begging to help with Ginny's state.

"Yes, I'm aware of this as that was the forty fifth time you've mentioned it." Hermione said patiently, pushing Ginny through the grounds of the large quidditch pitch where all finals were held, like the world cup that Hermione had attended in the summer before her fourth year.

"Are you mocking me?! Don't mock me when I'm in this state!" Ginny told her, her voice rising in pitch slightly.

"No, it's just like any other game you've played in this year, but.....bigger." Hermione tried to convince her as she pushed her into the changing rooms.

"There you are! God we've been looking everywhere for you!" Ginny's best friend on the team and roommate, Holly Philips, exclaimed.

"Have her back!" Hermione whispered, looking at Ginny who was slowly trying to gage what piece of kit when ware.

"Gin, what's wrong?" Holly asked in a falsely sweet voice, looking at the chaser cautiously.

"It's the final!" Ginny repeated once again, looking up at Holly.

"Yes, it's the final Ginny, now play like you have all season, the youngest chaser in the whole league who has the highest scores and assists, because if you don't I will kick your arse out onto that pitch and repeatedly hit bludgers at you! Understand?!" Holly asked sternly.

"Yeah." Ginny nodded, the voice of her friend seemed to knock out the fear.

"Thank you!" Hermione hugged Holly, who she was also friends with. Holly stood at 5ft3 and had long dark brown hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall. She was well toned like all the girls on the Harpies team, Gwenog made sure of it, but she also had a pretty face, almost innocent with most other teams when she'd first been introduced caused her to be overlooked as a beater, thinking she was soft, that was until she whacked a bludger in their direction.

"Good luck!" Hermione told them, walking out the changing rooms and meeting up with the rest of the other Weasley's who'd turned up to watch Ginny in her first ever Nation Quidditch League, or the NQL, final against Puddlemere United, with Oliver Wood playing keeper.

...

"What time were we supposed to meet them?" Dean asked Seamus and Neville as he hurried around the flat the three shared, looking for his shoe.

"About half an hour ago!" Seamus glared at Dean.

"Crap, Harry is going to fire our asses!" Dean complained as he finally found his shoe.

"Come on!" Neville rolled his eyes at the two of them, leaving the flat and aparating to the stadium, where the families of teams and auror's were, patrolling and securing the area tightly.

"Let me guess, Dean couldn't find his shoe or something." Harry muttered, rolling his eyes at the group.

"Spot on." Neville muttered, "Where do you want us?" He asked.

"Can you secure the outer reaches?" Harry asked them.

"Sure." They strode off to the outer perimeter of the ground and began casting the standard charms, meaning people aparating or talking a port key ended up in one spot and had to pass aurors to get in.

"Harry!"

Harry turned to see the Weasley's waving him over and Harry smiled his usual smile that didn't make his eyes and walked over to the family that had once been so close to being his own and that now he rarely saw. He saw Ron, his best friend who he hadn't had a conversation with for nine months, Hermione, his other best friend who'd been so caught up in her work and her engagement they'd slowly drifted apart. He'd felt his family and friends slip through his fingers and he'd been too bitter, too emotionless, to stop it.

"Hi." He greeted them, smiling at Molly who pulled him into a long hug before scrutinising him.

"You look pale, are they working you too much?" She asked.

"No, I'm fine Mrs Weasley, how are you guys?" Harry asked them, keeping the conversation far away from himself.

"We're great." Mr Weasley smiled, "Incredibly proud."

Harry nodded understandingly and Bill quickly steered the conversation away from anything Ginny related, sensing the discomfort. They talked for a few minutes, catching up on all the details, Fleur had just found out she was pregnant again, Angelina and George were getting more serious, wedding plans were coming along with Ron and Hermione, who'd picked July 15th for their wedding, just under a month away.

"Harry, the teams want to have a practice and we need to screen them." Joe came over, he was in auror mode and was less hyperactive than usual as he gave the Weasley's a smile and nod.

"Alright, are you taking the Harpies or am I?" Harry asked him.

"I'll take them." Joe rolled his eyes, "They're not that bad." Joe teased.

"You weren't there last year." Harry muttered, watching Joe laugh before walking off towards the changing rooms.

"Well I better go, when you see Ginny tell her..." Harry trailed of, not knowing what to say, congratulations would only work if they won, "tell her it's the day she's always dreamed of and I hope it's everything she always wanted." Harry smiled before turning and walking back towards the stadium, hardly even sparing another glance back to his best friends and family, who were all watching him, worried looks in place.

"He looks...broken." Charlie finally spoke, the first to break the silence that Harry had left, not being the only one to pick up on the bitterness in Harry's final words.

"Let's get to our seats; I doubt we'll see Gin before the match." Ron changed the subject quickly.

"Come on then." Mr and Mrs Weasley led Bill, Fleur, Charlie, George, Angelina, Percy, Percy's girlfriend Audrey, Ron and Hermione towards their seats in the family section of the stadium...

...

"Harry, Joe wants your opinion on a Harpie broom." A young trainee auror told Harry just as he finished screening all the Puddlemere players and their brooms.

"Great." Harry muttered, running a hand through his messy hair that covered his forehead and showing the lightning bolt scar that stood out against his pale skin and dark lines under his eyes, "I'll be right there."

"Are you alright Harry?" Oliver Wood asked him, looking at Harry with concern etched in his handsome face.

"Fine, you should focus on yourself today Wood." Harry smiled a genuine smile at his old captain.

"Alright."

Wood still looked unconvinced as Harry left their changing rooms and entered the Harpies. It was hard not to miss Ginny with her bright red hair but avoided any looks as he strode over to Joe.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked bitterness in his voice.

"This broom's not coming out clear, but it's passing every test I can think of." Joe muttered, "You ok?" He asked.

"Fine..." Harry trailed off, "I just hate quidditch." He muttered darkly.

He said it quietly but Ginny still heard the last four words and let her mouth drop open. Harry had always loved quidditch, it was his escape, sometimes she'd even teased him how he loved it more than her. She turned and studied Harry for the first time in nine months. He was paler, dark lines under his eyes that had lost all trace of the spark they once held, the only word that came to mind when she looked at him was broken, and it was all her fault...

...

**So here's the opening chapter, tell me what you think!!**

**Please Review...x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Thank you to everyone who review. As for what happened between Harry and Ginny...well that's to come later! Though will be explained soon! Harry not talking to the Weasley's makes me sad as well ******

**  
EDIE!!! Hello! It is fine, it takes two lol! I am a H/G girl! **

**Chapter 2.**

The pubs that night were packed, full of quidditch lovers celebrating one of the best played matches in recent history. It had been an incredibly tight match, both teams defence was spot on while their attack was perfect, making it very hard to score and keeping the overall score low. In the end the Harpies chaser had outmatched thoses of Puddlemere and stolen ahead while their seeker, Jenny Michael had caught the snitch, taking nothing away from any other player on the pitch. In the pub, Time Turners Tavern, the Hapies, aurors, families of the Harpies and other guests all celebrated the victory with drinks, music and a whole lot of dancing.

"All right!" Gwenog Jones commanded the attention of the whole pub as she climbed onto a table, tittering ever so slightly from the alcohol she'd consumed, "To each of my players, well done! You played magnificently, Holly and Frieda, you're the best beaters a girl could ask for, I mean that knock out of Jenkins's hand near the end was just amazing, Why can't you be Welsh?!, Jenny, that catch at the end was international standards, and Gin and Lydia, my fellow chasers, what can I say, Gin you're 18 and hold the highest scoring record this year, if you were Welsh I'd have you on my international squad in a heartbeat, and Lydia you're the best dodger out there and babes you are on my international squad, me and Gin own half our goals to you!" Gewnog raised the bottle of firewhiskey in her hand, "To my team, the best a girl could ask for!"

The pub all cheered and Harry watched Charlie Weasley help Gwenog down before he started dancing with her. Ginny was dancing with some tall, curly brown haired man, laughing carelessly and letting him put her hands on her waist securely. She'd just been on the winning side of the Holy-Head Harpies at just 18 with less than a years experience in the league; she'd started for them and won. Harry looked away, feeling slightly sick at Ginny's happiness and headed over to the bar, ordering another beer, his sixth that night.

"Sorry." A voice he recognised all too well said behind him and he saw Ginny squeeze past two people as she reached the bar, her smile slipping slightly as she saw Harry.

"Here." The bartender handed Harry his beer and as he turned he saw Ginny studying him, her chocolate orbs filled with an expression that Harry could not read. They stood there, staring at each other for what seemed like minutes but what in reality was only seconds. Harry looked at Ginny, her face flushed from the heat of dancing, her red hair bouncing around her face freely and her brown eyes with that ever present sparkle. She looked so alive that it frightened Harry, how little had their relationship meant to her? It had been everything to Harry while she'd said she'd loved him she never seemed to show it, at least not in the end.

"Are you doing ok?" She finally asked, biting her lip slightly, a habit Harry used to love about her but now just annoyed him how she could stand there and ask him that.

"Why do you care?" Harry asked her bitterly, his eyebrows raising before he disappeared back into the crowd, leaving Ginny to stare after him, shocked and holding back the retort that had been about to roll off her tongue.

"Harry." A voice called and Harry turned to see another familiar red head making his way towards him.

"Ron." Harry said in a monotone, carrying on towards the door of the pub and walking out letting the cool June air hit his face, refreshing him from the heat from inside.

"How are you doing? Really?" Ron asked, "Are you sleeping well?"

"The few hours I sleep are peaceful," Harry retorted, anger bubbling through him, "I thought you were done with me?" Harry's voice was sharp, harsh and unfeeling.

"When I said that I was angry and I'm sorry," Ron started, "I saw Ginny, she was crying and said you'd broken up and I just assumed-"

"You assumed I'd broken up with her, dumped her like some ass that you'd always hoped I'd become so you'd become the good one out of us. It has a ring to it doesn't it? Harry Potter the ass and Ron Weasley his best friend who feels! Well good for you Ron, you've gotten what you wanted." Harry cut Ron off angrily; clenching and unclenching his fists, making his knuckles turn even whiter than his skin.

"I never thought that." Ron said quietly, Harry's anger scaring him slightly, he didn't know this person...the bitter, empty shell of someone he'd once considered family.

"Regardless, everything we said to each other still stands, anger makes you reveal truths you've been bottling up, it's one of the only times people don't lie, and how could I possibly forget, _'I must not tell lies!'_" Harry was getting angrier, Ron was trying to act like the good one by coming out here to patch things up that he'd helped break and he watched as Ron took a careful, slow step backwards out of Harry's immediate arms length.

"I may have meant it then but I regret saying it now." Ron pleaded with Harry, "We've been best friends for nine years; we've been through hell and back together."

"And now that part of my life is over, the adventures, the sacrifices. After all, where did it get me? I'm almost twenty and I've lost everything that I once loved. To stop me regretting what I've done, I've got to let it go." Harry told Ron, "You made it clear nine months ago that you wanted nothing to do with me, that everything I love ends up broken or dead, and you know what? You were right. From now on I want nothing to do with you." Harry's works broke his own and Ron's heart.

"You don't mean that." Ron told Harry, his voice soft and broken.

"As of a minute ago, I'm no longer required to protect any of the players." Harry told Ron, placing the beer down on the outdoor table, "Goodbye Ron, have a nice life and a great wedding."

With those words Harry had gone, disaparrated away from the pub, leaving Ron stood there, a gaping hole in this world where his best friend had once been...

......

"I don't understand, how can he be so angry?" Hermione asked Ron desperately.

"He's angry, we said things that we shouldn't have, I was angry about Gin and so was he and he has every right to be." Ron told her, pacing around their small cottage.

"I'm going to talk to him." Hermione told Ron, standing up and grabbing her robe that was slung over the sofa arm, "We need to do something, he looked half dead at the match."

"Alright, tell me everything when you get back." Ron told her, pulling her into a hug, kissing her cheek before she left.

Hermione disaparrated to the doorstep Harry's apartment, she'd spent so much time there at one point, laughing with Ron and Harry, teasing Ginny and Ron, just being happy as a group. It had all changed when Ginny began starting for the Harpies, her goals picked up and so did her fame, everyone wanted a piece of the action. She was out most nights, living the life she'd always dreamed of as a professional quidditch player and Harry accepted it, for years she'd been know as Harry Potter's girlfriend and now she wanted because of something she'd achieved, who was he to stand in the way of that? But as the nights got longer and she stopped even coming back so nights Harry grew more and more tired. When she'd moved in with Holly it had started another set of fights, they were both right in what they believed.

"Harry?" Hermione knocked on the door to his flat, "Come on, open up!"

"What do you want?" Harry asked tiredly, opening the door.

Hermione gasped at the sight of a completely broken man in front of her. His hair was sticking up everywhere, a cigarette was dangling out of his mouth and a bottle of firewhiskey was clutched in one hand. He was shirtless, his scars emphasised by his ghostly pale skin and a tattoo on the left side of his ribcage stood out so vividly it hurt to look at the black date _'2/5/98'_.

"Smoking! REALLY!" Hermione exploded, striding forward and pulling the cigarette out of Harry's lips before he had time to react, "Drinking! DRUGS!"

"Hey!" Harry protested, trying to grab his joint back of Hermione though failing, the drugs and alcohol affecting his reflexes while all he wanted to do was forget everything...curl up into a ball and forget everything.

"NO!" Hermione yelled, pushing Harry into the flat and slamming the door closed, "It's time you listened to me!"

Harry let his arms fall in defeat, looking at his bushy haired best friend expectedly. Waiting for the lecture on how they could damage his body how he should have moved on. How he should do this and shouldn't do that...

"It's been nine months! For nine months I've watched you wallow away, become more and more withdrawn and bitter and it has to end! I know you're hurting but this is killing you!" Hermione told Harry desperately, "What would your parents think? Siruis, Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks!?"

"Don't!" Harry warned her in a dangerously low voice. She was using the tool of people who had sacrificed their lives for him, it was a low blow.

"They gave their lives for you! For a better world, so WE could live happily and without fear and I'm scared Harry! I'm scared for you because you're looking paler and paler each day, you're eyes look dead and I'm afraid of losing my best friend when I need him most! I'm getting married and I need you there to tell me that everything's over now, that no one will hurt us again!" Tears welled up in Hermione's soft brown eyes.

"I can't do it anymore." Harry told her defeated, a few lone tears trickling down his own face.

"Grow up! You know better than anyone that life's hard!" Hermione was going more red as she got more angry, "You say you love Ginny, if you truly loved her you'd have accepted it by now! She's happy and safe, and for now that should be good enough for you!"

"You have no idea how I feel!" Harry yelled as her, his eyes seeming to widen scarily.

"REALLY! When Ron left us how do you think I felt! I didn't know if he was alive or dead and he'd abandoned me at a time I needed him so much! You know that Ginny is alive, happy, doing what she loves and I know it's hard to have to watch it and not be part of making her happy but you need to move on." Hermione's voice which had reached an all time loudness had returned to its normal volume.

"I came back for her; I left a life and peacefulness with my parents, Sirius, Lupin and Tonks. It was so appealing and I wanted it so badly, but I wanted Ginny more, she was this beam of hope that was stronger than anything else, and now she doesn't want me." Harry's voice was of someone completely defeated.

"You've obviously made up your mind to live like this and I know you're not going to listen to anything I say, but I'm going to say it anyway because if somehow you decide to get off your high horse and listen to everything I've been trying to say you'll see it makes sense." Hermione looked down before staring up at Harry's emerald orbs and continuing, "All I can say is if you continue to live like this then Voldemort's won and the war, the deaths and the broken souls were for nothing." Hermione gave Harry a look that was so fierce Harry took a step back, "My parents refusing to speak to me will be for nothing."

With that she'd turned on the spot and disaparrated, away from Harry and towards Ron, someone who loved her through thick and thin. Someone Harry no longer had...

**So there's the second chapter for you, **

**Tell me what you think,**

**I'll add some flashbacks of happy Harry and Ginny, and their break-up.**

**Please Review...x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

The flat was silent when Joe returned home in the early hours of the morning; he'd been out all night with his new girlfriend, Sadie, a new employee of the department for the regulation and control of magical animals, where Hermione had previously worked. This was unusual, there was always some sort of noise in the apartment, rustling from Harry's room as he slept or his light snoring but tonight it was completely silent. Joe looked around and saw an empty bottle of firewhiskey on the table in front of the sofa.

"Harry?" Joe called; walking round the apartment to make sure Harry wasn't passed out somewhere like he'd often found him.

"Damn it, where are you?" Joe muttered, pulling out the magical version of the iPhone that George Weasley had come up with a year and a half ago, and dialled Harry's number, listening it to ring continuously.

"Harry when you get this call me, you're not at the flat, is everything ok?" Joe told the answer phone, sighing and hanging up.

Joe didn't know why he was bothering ringing Harry, maybe it was the firewhiskey, proving that he'd been there and not just gone home with one of the girls at the party. He'd also seen Harry's run in with both Ron and Ginny so knew that Harry would be somewhere across the country on his godfathers bike getting pissed to wash away his worries, like he always did.

......

"_Her?" Ginny asked, looking at Harry expectantly, her eyebrows raised as she wrapped her arms around his neck, moving herself into a more comfortable position on his lap._

"_I've told you a million times, the only woman in the pub who I'd ever go for is sat on my lap." Harry rolled his eyes, taking a swig of his beer and hugging Ginny closer to him._

_"You're ruining the game!" Ginny scolded, taking a swig of her 'Magners', "You have to chose one person that you would go for if we weren't...us."_

__

"Why?" Harry asked, kissing her neck tenderly, "When I have everything I want here."

_"Because that's the rules." Ginny rolled her eyes at her boyfriend._

"_Fine, you go first though." Harry told her, looking around the pub at the male population._

"_Him." Ginny nodded discreetly at a tall man with wavy blonde hair, he looked like a surfer, with a t-shirt on and casual jeans._

_"Seriously?" Harry asked, "He looks thick."_

_"Well sorry." Ginny muttered before turning back to Harry, "Your turn." She beamed, knowing she's trapped Harry._

_"Fine." Harry scanned the pub, "Her." He nodded at a decidedly ordinary looking girl with her friends though Ginny noted she had a very pretty smile, she looked kind and friendly._

"_Not bad." Ginny shrugged._

_"What, no comment?" Harry asked her cheekily._

_"Nope." Ginny shook her head, "She looks....kind."_

"_This game was stupid!" Harry laughed, "The only girl I want is you, now can we go home? I'll show you how much I want you." Harry whispered the last part into her ear in a husky voice._

"_Fine, only because you're such a smooth talker." Ginny said sarcastically, jumping up and dragging Harry out the pub._

_"Who's Miss Eager Beaver." Harry teased as they aparated away._

.......

"Hey." Harry greeted the woman at the bar, she was around twenty, attractive and was with a group of her muggle friends.

"Hi." She said, raising one of her eyebrows and studying Harry, a bored look on her face.

"Can I get you a drink?" Harry asked her, his green eyes twinkling.

"Okay..." She rolled her eyes, "A, I already have a drink, which you would know if you'd actually paid any attention to any other part of me except my chest, and B, I'm seeing someone."

"You have blue eyes with the smallest tint of green in, your hair is almost jet black at first look but has shades of red in." Harry told her without looking up.

"I'm still seeing someone." She grinned, turning and walking over to her friends.

"Seriously, not even the time of day?" Harry asked her, following her and watching as she frowned slightly.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is but you seriously need to go, my boyfriend is coming over here." She told Harry, no longer smiling, her look cold as ice.

"Wow, I'm just shaking in my boots." Harry muttered sarcastically.

"Everything ok?" A voice asked behind Harry.

"Perfect." Harry answered without turning around, "So an overall no to that drink then?" He asked her one last time.

"Seriously, bugger off." She muttered.

"What's wrong?" The same voice asked, and Harry turned to see a face he'd never thought he'd see again.

"Dudley Dursley?" Harry asked, incredulously, hardly recognising his cousin.

"Harry?" Dudley asked, his face trying to see any part of his cousin and stopped at the green eyes of his aunt and cousin, the only ones to ever possess a pair that were that green.

"3...4 years has it been?" Harry asked, looking at Dudley who was still in shock.

"3...We thought....we thought you were dead." Dudley mumbled.

"I was for a couple of minutes." Harry joked, taking in Dudley, who had changed immensely since Harry had last seen him. His blonde hair had darkened to a light brown colour, he'd obviously continued some sort of exercise seen as he was chunky now, not chubby but well muscled though he still seemed to loom over Harry.

"Why are you hitting on my girlfriend?" Dudley asked, anger clouding his face for the first time.

"She's pretty." Harry shrugged.

"That doesn't give you the right to hit on her; she's not a piece of meat." Dudley told Harry, looking at the girl fondly.

Harry felt as if someone had whacked him in the stomach with a baseball bat, Dudley was the well mannered yet protective boyfriend while Harry was the annoying lowlife of the bar. Ever since Hermione had came and talked to him, he'd been afraid of looking at himself to clearly and seeing she been right all along as usual. Now he couldn't escape it, he'd become someone he hated, someone he'd rolled his eyes at a year ago, "Your right, I'm sorry."

Dudley watched as Harry walked out the pub, a bottle of beer in one hand, the other rubbing the back of his neck and Dudley read the scars etched into the skin from where he was stood, _'I must not tell lies.'_

"I'll be right back." Dudley told his girlfriend, Jen.

"What...?" She asked but Dudley was already through the door.

Dudley spotted Harry walking towards a motorbike and words from what seemed like a different life shot through his brain, _'I had a dream about a flying motorbike.' _

"Harry!" Dudley called, striding over to him.

"What?" Harry asked.

"When did you become that guy?" Dudley asked confusion on his face, "What've you been doing for the last three years?"

"It's a long story." Harry shrugged.

"I've got time." Dudley told Harry.

"I'll cut it short, my parents were killed by Voldemort, my godfather was killed by one of his followers, my mentor and teacher died, and my only remaining father figure was killed. I was in a war, and we won but sometimes the casualties don't seem worth it, especially since my girlfriend dumped me nine months ago." Harry told Dudley.

"Wow, that's a lot to deal with." Dudley started and then frowned, "maybe...maybe you were supposed to go through it all, to feel that bad, to become the best you can possibly be, and if you give up then it'll be like you failed. I don't know, one guy shouldn't have to go through all that shit, it's not right, and I didn't help, I made your childhood miserable and for that I'll always be truly sorry."

"To be honest, what you did seems like nothing anymore." Harry kicked the bike into life, "But thank you."

"But if I see you hitting on my girlfriend again I'll kick your arse, wizard or not." He told Harry.

"I'll steer clear." Harry promised. With that note Harry kicked off, propelling the motorbike into the air and through the moonlight...

.......

"_So what do you want to do tonight?" Harry asked Ginny, placing some home cooked pasta in front of her and opening a bottle of goblin made wine._

_Ginny looked up guiltily, taking a long sip of wipe and a large mouthful of pasta while avoiding answering his question._

_"Let me guess, late night practice session, press conference, interview, night out team building?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes and sitting down._

"_Don't act like that, I don't have to go." Ginny defended, looking at Harry with hurt in her eyes, "I get it your jobs more important that mine, catching criminals, so when you spend five days solid at the office I can't complain." _

"_Can we not start this again, please?" Harry begged her, picking up her hand in one of his lovingly, "I just miss you, I hardly ever see you anymore."_

"_It's only because I'm just picking up fame, I'm their shiny new toy. Next season they'll find someone else to obsess over." Ginny grinned, entwining her fingers with his, "This is amazing by the way."_

"_Thanks, so this hype will eventually settle?" Harry asked, "Because papers are still crazy about me."_

_"That's because ninety percent of their readers are female and you're sexy." Ginny grinned playfully, "Sexy and mine."_

_"Damn straight, and you can tell the next obsessive fan boy that he can back off unless he wants Harry Potter duelling him." Harry muttered defensively, their little spat almost forgotten._

_"As long as you tell the next bimbo clinging on to you, begging you to save her to clear off otherwise they'll be on the end of my bat-bogy hex." Ginny grinned._

_"So where are you going tonight?" Harry asked, looking up and watching as Ginny's expression fell and slight annoyance returned to her brown orbs._

__

"Gwenog's to go over the plays for tomorrow's match. I'll be back early and no drinking." Ginny told him, dropping his hand, "But, like I said I don't have to go."

_"Yes you do, you're saying that to make me feel better, if you don't go she won't start you." Harry took a big mouthful of pasta, not looking up at Ginny._

"_It's not the end of the world." Ginny shrugged though not meeting Harry's eyes._

_"It means a lot to you, just go." Harry said tiredly, "I'll do some paperwork or something."_

__

"Harry..." Ginny looked at him guiltily.

_"It's fine. Go." He told her shortly, quickly polishing off the last of his pasta in silence and draining his wine before standing up and placing them in the sink to wash and dry themselves, disappearing into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him._

_"You've got to be kidding me." Ginny mumbled, staring at the closed door before finishing her own meal and wine. After placing her dish, cutlery and glass in the sink she headed to the bedroom._

_"Hey you haven't seen...?" Ginny started to asked while she searched through a pile of clothes before looking up to see what she was searching for, on Harry. She was pissed off now, he was wearing his scarlet Gryffindor jumper with his name on the back in gold writing, the same jumped he'd basically given to her and that she always wore to an eve-of-match run over, she thought it was lucky somehow, not to mention unbelievably comfy. He knew she'd look for it to wear and was wearing it to spite her._

"_What?" Harry asked, looking up from the hundreds of files that surrounded him on his bed, his voice with an ice cold edge to it._

_"Nothing." She fumed, grabbing a Harpie's jumper with her name on the back before leaving the room, slamming the door behind her._

_"Hey Ginny..." Joe trailed off, looking at Ginny slightly cautiously as she stormed out the apartment. _

......

"Where have you been?" Joe asked, breathing a sigh of relief when Harry entered the flat.

"Out, when to a bar, why?" Harry asked, as he saw Ron and Hermione for the first time sat on the sofa, looking nervous, "What's going on?"

"We didn't know where you were! The state you were in the last time we saw you wasn't exactly confidence building stuff!" Hermione cried.

"Why are you here now?" Harry asked Hermione, "Where were you when me and Ginny were having problems? You'd have known what to do! Where were you nine months ago when Ginny broke up with me? Where were you when everything turned shit? You were working, building you and Ron the perfect life. Why are you caring now?!" Harry practically bellowed.

"Don't yell at her!" Ron shouted back.

"I'm sorry!" Hermione cried at Harry, fat tears running down her cheeks, "I just got promoted to the DoMLI and everything was moving so fast, Ron proposed and then you and Ginny broke up and I knew you two were having problems, I figured in a week or two you'd be back together."

"But you weren't there!" Harry cried back, "I needed my best friends and you weren't there!"

"I tried, I swear to god Harry I tried!" Hermione whispered, "I spent hours banging on your door, begging you to open it. I spent hours trying to get you to listen and you pushed me away!"

"I needed you to tell me how I could have fixed us when we were still happy, I needed you then, to stop the smashing, not to try and pick up the pieces." Harry's low voice sounded drained of all energy.

"I know! We know! Don't you know that we'd do anything to change that!" Hermione cried helplessly, "I can't take back how I acted, I know I can't, but please let me try and help!" Hermione begged.

"What's the point anymore?" Harry asked.

"Maybe we should have a night to cool off." Ron finally spoke up, "It's been a long day, we're all tired...let's just..."

He and Hermione left without another word and he was left with an angry looking Joe, who turned on Harry as soon as he left, "What the hell?" He asked angrily.

"What?" Harry asked, waving his wand and making the flat tidy itself up.

"They care about you so much and you can't even see it!" Joe told him, anger bubbling in his voice, "You need to get over whatever it is, apologise to them and go to their wedding."

"You don't understand, I didn't do anything!" Harry muttered.

"Does it matter anymore!? I know you miss them and they miss you. As for understanding! My brother was killed in the war Harry! You know that! His wife was left without a husband, my nephew without a father and his friends without him! They love you enough to care and you're throwing it back in their face like a child! Grow up, get over it!" Joe fumed, turning and walking into his room, slamming the door in anger.

.....

Harry wandered around the empty park, it was five in the morning and the world seemed to be sleeping. He looked up at the bright half moon in the sky, visible because the lengthy spell of rain. He saw the sparkle of her blonde hair first, shimmering in the moonlight before she made her way towards Harry in her usually dancing like way.

"Luna." Harry smiled genuinely at his friend who he hadn't seen in nearly three months.

"Harry, do I take it the ratspurks have left your brain then?" She asked...

....

**Okay, just to address a few reviews...**

**I know I sort of painted Ginny to not giving a crap but first impressions my friends...**

**Hermione is also OOC because I don't know why but I've always thought that her ambitious streak may one day have it's consequences...And about Harry being at a her wedding, WELL my sisters planning her wedding atm and its like a warzone, everything had to be perfect, consequences be dammed and apparently she's not the worst bride out there, no offense to my sister, i love her and all but it's chaos! So I figured she'd want it to be perfect, and Harry not being there wouldn't be!**

**And while Ginny lost Fred and her friends in the battle, she's not delt with the loss of her parents or two father figures, while feeling responsible so Harry's emotions were all tied to her, explaining why he's more openly bitter about the break up...and there's a bit more of Ginny's side to come...**

**I had to bring Dudley back because I wanted to show how he could change when his parents aren't near him!**

**The tattoo is the date of the final battle and I figure it was when Harry's life away from Voldemort began, sort of random...**

**So please review ! x Can I asked for 10-20 reviews before I update again?**


	4. Chapter 4

**YAY 9 review, I'll take what I can get lol!**

**So I'm going away tomorrow morning with some friends for a camping long weekend in celebration of our AS results WOO!! Problem is I'll get back REALLY late, or early on Monday night/Tuesday morning so you're going to have to wait. There's no internet in woods! How very dare they!**

**Chapter 4.**

Harry laughed loudly, a laugh he hardly recognised because it hadn't been used in so long. He laughed until Luna looked at his strangely, as if he was the mad one. He laughed for all the jokes and funny things he'd hear when he hadn't laughed. He laughed because in one line, his friends had made him feel better than he had done in weeks. Striding forwards he hugged Luna.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you!" Harry exclaimed to the blonde woman.

"I'm happy to see you too, though surprised you called. I almost didn't get a magical phone, what with the Gerbang conspiracy behind them." Luna said, her ever present beaming smile firmly in place.

"I'm sorry, the what?" Harry asked.

"Well it's been widely speculated that Edwin Gerband actually invented the magical phone instead of George." Luna babbled.

Widely speculated by who exactly Harry didn't know, all he knew was that if anyone could help him, Luna could. "I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Of course, though I've been known to give strange answers according to some." Luna shrugged.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Harry laughed, walking over to the bench and sitting down, "It's like I'm lost...I don't recognise myself anymore and I'm not the person that people should have sacrificed themselves for. It's like I'm as bitter as Sirius, I loved Sirius but I never wanted to become him." Harry told Luna, "Only I haven't been locked away with dementors for twelve years."

"No, you've been trapped within yourself, which in many ways is much worse." Luna told him as she sat down next to Harry.

"What do you mean?" Harry looked curiously at Luna.

"Dementors replay your worst memories but trapped within your own self-doubt and self loathing, it's like all you regrets, all your sins, everything you feel guilty about. It's trapped within you and you've done nothing but be trapped along in them. Though I do have one question." Luna told him.

"What?" Harry asked, looking at Luna curiously.

"Why, if you love Ginny, have you been sat doing nothing about it for nine months?"

"What?" Harry asked, stumped.

"All you've been doing is showing Ginny the reasons she broke up with you, the cold, bitter, half dead side that lives in regret, guilt and fear. Not the fun loving, full of life Harry she fell in love with."

"I think she killed it, that night." Harry murmured.

"No part of your soul has been killed since Voldemort fell." Luna insisted.

"So you're basically telling me to show Ginny what she's missing?" Harry asked.

"Why not?" Luna's eyes twinkled.

......

"Ginny wake up!!" Holly yelled, shaking Ginny urgently for what seemed the hundredth time that night, "GINNY!"

"What?!" Ginny shot upright in bed, looking curiously at Holly who was looking at her with scared eyes. Ginny also noticed how she was drenched in sweat and she fell back on the pillows, her nightmare replaying in her head.

"You were screaming and I couldn't wake you for ages, I got really worried, and then you started thrashing around, screaming and..." Holly trailed off.

"Shit." Ginny mumbled, "I forgot to set the silencing charms."

"How often do these happen? How can I not know this? I live with you." Holly looked baffled and hurt at the same time.

"Once, maybe twice a week, they've gotten worse since..." Ginny looked at Holly and took the glass of the side and filled it with water from her wand.

"Since you and Harry broke up." Holly finished, "Isn't that sort of a sign that maybe you should at least talk to him again. I mean you saw his at the match today...wait yesterday, he looked like a ghost and it's obvious he misses you."

"I can't, as much as I miss him, I can't." Ginny groaned and downed the rest of her water.

"Why not, what happened?" Holly asked.

"He hates me." Ginny muttered, "And he broke my heart."

"You can't love someone like he loved you and the hate them, it's impossible, he only thinks he hates you and he's the only one who can fix it." Holly sat down on Ginny's bed and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"And that's so much better, I act like I'm ok, but god, I'm not." Ginny filled the glass up again and drank.

"What was the nightmare about?" Holly asked before faltering, "You don't have to tell me, though it might help."

"My seventh year was a living hell for me. Death eaters at Hogwarts and they knew Harry and I dated so they targeted me. Most of the time Snape would intervene before they went too far, before the torture turned to heavy, while it was just students practicing the cruciatus curse on us but sometimes, when it was just the Carrows they'd let loose." Ginny shuddered, "Alecto, the male, once tried to...rape me, something about if Harry heard about his precious Weaslette being violated he would have come running back, it was near the Easter holidays but Neville burst in and stunned him. He didn't try again before the end of term and I didn't go back."

"Oh my god." Holly breathed, not believing what she was hearing.

"I didn't tell anyone, begged Neville not too and only told Harry a few months after the battle. He was half way out the door and on his way to Azkaban to rip Carrow's head of before I had to body bind him to stop." Ginny laughed slightly at the memory.

"Why?" Holly asked, "Why not let him kill the son of a bitch?"

"Harry's never killed purposely, and I knew if he went and murdered Carrow, even if it was to defend my honour or something it would break his soul. It was also my own battle that I had dealt with, or at least I thought I'd dealt with." Ginny sighed.

"I don't understand why you broke up..." Holly muttered standing up, "Get some sleep Gin, you played great today."

"Thanks...for everything and I think you kicked some arse out there today too." Ginny grinned.

Holly left the room and left Ginny with her thoughts, remembering the night where everything seemed to change.

......

_Harry sat on his sofa, worried about Ginny, twisting his hands nervously. She'd said she'd be back at elevenish, it was now half four. He'd left her a few messages but she hadn't called him back yet and he was starting to worry, there were plenty of people who wanted to hurt him and Ginny was the person they'd target, not to mention all of her crazy fans. For all he knew one had kidnapped her to fulfil his own screwed up fantasies. five and a half hours late, where was she? Harry heard the key turn in the lock and shot up into the entrance way to see Ginny, being cautiously quiet as she walked in._

_  
"Harry!" She looked alarmed to see him, expecting him to have turned in by now._

"_Where've you been? I've been worried, I tried to call!" Harry fretted._

_  
"My phone was off, I was out with the girls like I said I would be." Ginny told him, not understanding what he was fretting about._

"_You could have called to tell me you'd be late!" Harry shot back._

"I figured you'd just turn in." Ginny shot back, "Sorry, I didn't realise I was dating my father!"

"_I'm sorry I actually care!" Harry yelled._

_  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny asked, temper flaring._

_  
"I never see you! You're never here!" Harry bellowed._

_  
"I'm not starting this again," Ginny whispered, "I'm tired."_

"I would be too if I'd been partying all night." Harry bit coldly.

"_I didn't mean that! I mean I'm tired of this goddamn argument!" Ginny yelled._

_  
"Well maybe __**you**__ should do something about it then!" Harry told her, the fire in his eyes meeting the fire in hers._

"_I'm 18 years old, trying to deal with three year contracts, endorsement deals, magazine articles, interviews, press stories, difficult quidditch plays, getting respect for someone other than Potter's girl. I do not need to be dealing with this!" Ginny fumed, "I go to train and I get Gwenog telling me I don't spend enough time with them, I'm slacking in practice and unfocused then I come home wanting my boyfriend to just be there and actually care about what's going on and I have you yelling that I don't spend enough time with you! The reason I haven't started for the last five games isn't because I can't to the plays, it's because I'm too busy worrying about my personal life and the reason my personal like if shit is because I'm worrying about quidditch! It's like you're asking me to choose!"_

"And what if I am?" Harry asked, "Quidditch or me?" 

"_NO! You promised me when I signed with the Harpies that you'd never ask me!" Ginny yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks, "You can't ask me that."_

"I think I just did." Harry said coldly.

_  
"I'm not choosing quidditch, but I'm not choosing you either...It's like I don't recognise you anymore. I'm done." Ginny told him._

_  
"What?" Harry asked, stunned._

_  
"I'm done. I can't do this, you're pissed off all the time about how I never spend time with you and when I do it's never enough." Ginny paused, "We're over."_

"Wait, Ginny, you can't be serious!" Harry begged, moving forward quickly and grabbing Ginny's wrist to prevent her from leaving.

"_You've been acting like I've been cheating on you when all I've been doing is working. I would never ask you to choose between being an auror and me." Ginny whispered._

_  
"You know I'd choose you!" Harry told her, "You know I would!"_

"And what, you have the money to do that Harry! I wasn't born with a fortune, and I'm not about to become your housewife living off your money, I can't do that, I won't do that. Quidditch is part of who I am, for good or for bad and if you can't accept that anymore we need to end this." Ginny reached up and wiped a tear that had fallen from Harry's cheek, "Now let go of me, I'm done, I'll get my stuff later."

"_No!" Harry said angrily._

"Harry get off my arm." Ginny told him.

"NO!"

Ginny ripped her arm out of Harry's grip before leaving the apartment. Leaving Harry to stare at where she'd been previously standing. He needed alcohol, lots and lots of alcohol, anything to make him forget the pain he was feeling right now.

_Ginny disaparrated to her and Holly's flat, tears falling thick and fast from her eyes, what had she done? Ended her relationship! It had been on her mind for a few months because Harry couldn't accept sharing her with the team or the world for that matter, even though she had to share him with the whole world. She was glad that Holly had gone home with her current guy and wouldn't be back that night. Surely there must be a way she could have saved their relationship without having to pick._

"Stupid son of a bitch!" Ginny muttered, thinking of how he'd made her choose.

_  
If he'd have asked her three months ago she'd have picked him in a heartbeat even though he'd promised her he'd never asked. Their fights had started two and a half months ago, she'd missed dinner two nights in one week because Gwenog though that the opposition knew their plays so she'd insisted on changing them. He'd eventually let it go, shrugging it off and they'd curled up and watched a film, everything forgotten. But soon the arguments had gotten longer and more intense, ending with one of them storming out, the comments got harsher and the gap between them got bigger._

_The clock beeped, signalling the arrival of five o'clock. Half an hour since she'd returned to Harry's flat. Why she'd gone back there in the first place, this could have all been avoided if she'd have said that she'd go home after instead of back to his. Why had she said that? To make him feel better? Yeah, great job there! Why couldn't they just talk about it rather than screaming at each other once they'd both reached breaking point? She was eighteen years old, too young to be bound down, at least that's what all her teammates, excluding Holly, though, they'd all laughed at the thought of maintaining a functioning relationship in this career, stating the only way you could possible do it was a friends with benefits._

_Ginny laid on her sofa, thinking about all the times she should have ended it in the last two months and hadn't, she'd been desperate to cling on to something that once made her feel so good, feel so safe and loved but now only brought pain back into her life. He was the only guy that made tears come after a fight, tears of anger and pain. She hadn't cried this much since Fred's death. And he didn't even realise how much pain he was causing. She must have been laying there was a while because when she next looked at the clock it read five forty five. She was going to fix this, she was sure there was something they could try before giving up. She stood up and disaparrated to the entrance to Harry's block of flats, using the climb up to try and decide what she'd say._

"_Oh my god." Ginny breathed once Harry's flat door was insight. For outside was Harry and a tall blonde woman, locked in a passionate kiss as he fumbled with his keys to open the door. Without a sound she took off back down the stairs, tears clouding her vision of the fell like tropical rain. They'd been broken up just over an hour and he was already hooking up with the next blonde bimbo. She felt as if he'd ripped her hear out and crushed it with his bare hands. She was never going to feel this way again._

.......

"So what are you going to do?" Luna asked Harry, looking at his broken emerald orbs.

"I'm going to fix it, fix everything...But I can't just forgive them, they abandoned me." Harry murmured.

"Ronald and Hermione we're the only ones pulling away Harry, you could have asked for help, gone around to their house. Yes what they did was selfish but...they weren't alone. You pulled away from Mrs Weasley when she was like a mother to you. You pulled away from Mr Weasley and he was the last remaining father figure you had. You're angry at people for leaving you when you've been leaving them." Luna reasoned with him.

"I never meant to hurt them. It's just...there're so many memories of us all there and, I don't know, I guess it just hurt." Harry let his head fall into his hands.

"You need to start rebuilding, step by step." Luna told Harry.

"What Ron said hurt me a lot." Harry admitted, "It was like he was voicing all my fears."

"Well we all know how many wrackspurks Ronald has in his brain; it's like a little city in there." Luna said, completely seriously.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Harry laughed.

"Definitely." Luna smiled.

"So how do I do this? Get Ginny back? Get my life back?" Harry asked Luna.

"Firstly you need to sort whatever's going on with Ron and Hermione out, piece by piece you've got to try and mend your friendship with them." Luna told him, "Once you've done that, and eaten something and gained a bit of completion we'll talk again. Goodbye Harry."

"Wait..." Harry watched as Luna disappeared into the night so he was left alone to think. His mind drifted back to that night...

.......

_There was a pounding at Harry's door and he looked down at the blonde woman underneath him he'd picked up in his drunken state five minutes ago. He rolled his eyes before rolling off her and pulling his shirt and jeans back on._

_  
"Stay here." He told her firmly, tucking his wand in his back pocket and walking out the bedroom and over to the front door. Opening it to reveal Ron._

"Hey, what are you doing here at four in the morning?" Harry asked, not noticing Ron's shaking hands.

_  
"Ginny just turned up at our house, crying her eyes out. WHAT THE HELL?!" Ron bellowed, stepping into the flat, "I trusted you with her heart and you smashed it!"_

"_Hold on a second!" Harry told Ron._

"_NO! I trusted you! We all did! How could you do this? She's our sister, haven't you damaged enough of our family as it is!?" Ron yelled._

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Harry whispered, afraid of what he was going to hear.

_  
"FRED'S DEAD! Hermione's parents won't talk to her, Ginny's distraught, Billy's scarred for life, George hasn't got an ear. It's like everything you get close to dies or gets hurt, who's next me and Hermione?!" Ron bellowed._

_  
"I never meant-" Harry started but Ron cut him off._

"_That's the thing, you never do! It's like you're cursed and it just happens! I want you to stay away from me, stay away from Hermione and stay the hell away from my family, especially Ginny." Ron hissed, "I can't watch them hurt anymore and that's all you do...bring pain on the people who love you the most!"  
_

"_Ron..." Harry muttered._

_  
"No...I trusted you!" Ron repeated before leaving, leaving Harry paralysed in the same place._

_  
"Are you coming back or not?" The woman asked, walking out in just her underwear._

_  
"I'm sorry but you need to go, I made a mistake." Harry mumbled._

_  
"What the hell?" She asked angrily._

_  
"I'm sorry, please go." Harry whispered and fell onto the sofa, his head in his hands as she left, her clothes in hand._

_  
In one night his life had fallen apart..._

.......

Harry's head hit the pillow and he fell asleep instantly, knowing he'd probably sleep for a whole day, a well needed whole day...

**So Harry's on the mend...sort of!**

**And you now know what happened!! What do you think!?!?! **

**And I am aware of how OOC they are but I'm trying to have them work their way back to the original amazing characters JK Rowling created.**

**And I know Ron was an arse in the last bit!**

**Please review! x**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm BACK!! Camping was amazing, though I was suffering from shower withdrawal, we were in the middle of this wood, not at a lovely campsite! Though this was much better, no people telling you to stop drinking, telling you the music was too loud or that smokins bad for your health and getting you kicked off the site (happened before) ! AND I GOT AAAB IN MY AS LEVELS!!! BOOYAH! Sorry slightly excitable! Anyway here's your next chapter :)**

**Chapter 5.**

Harry couldn't believe it when he checked the clock after he woke up. It read nine am, Monday. The match had been on Saturday, meaning he'd slept for more than an entire day, why hadn't Joe woke him? Harry rolled out of his bed and walked over to the mirror, staring at himself. His complexion wasn't ghostly pale anymore, just pale, the bags under his eyes were still there, just smaller, less puffy and his eyes didn't look dead anymore, just hurt. As usual Harry pulled on a t-shirt and some sorts and filled his water bottle up as he did every morning for his jog, something that always helped him clear his mind. His usually jog was out his flat, which was in Torquay, in Devon, and meant that Harry could run along the sea front, pier and around the town. Harry saw a figure he recognised in the distance, sat down on a bench looking out to the sea, leant forward, a flask in hand.

"Hey." Harry walked over and sat down next to Hermione.

"So we're talking now?" Hermione asked, taking a drink of whatever the hot liquid in the flask was, knowing Hermione, Harry's guessed it would be earl gray.

"I don't know, you tell me." Harry shrugged.

"All I know is that I'm sorry and I miss you." Hermione told him, turning to face him, "I was selfish, I should have realised what was going on, what you were going through, but I didn't and I've paid the price."

"Well, that genius mind of yours has got to slip sometime." Harry teased gently, looking up at Hermione for a second before turning his gave back to the waves crashing against the rocks, "I'll do you a deal."

"A deal?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry curiously.

"If you let me take you surfing then I'll go out for drinks and a meal with you and Ron. It'll be a chance to sort everything out...But you have to understand, I can't just forgive you, it can't just be all fine and dandy after one day." Harry smiled.

"You want me to go surfing?" Hermione asked, looking at the waves, terrified.

"That's the deal." Harry stood up.

"But..." Hermione stared at him.

"I guess not." Harry shrugged turning and walking away, counting in his head, _'Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...-'_

"Oh for gods sake! Fine!" Hermione exploded, "But if I die before my wedding I'll come back to kill you!"

"You won't die." Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm not working today, meet me back here in half an hour, I'll bring the wetsuits and we'll rent you a decent surfboard."

"Fine." Hermione was grumbling to herself as she discretely disaparated, without any muggles seeing.

......

"Surfing? He wants you to go surfing? You?" Ron asked, sitting up in bed and watching his grumbling fiancé tear around the room, looking for her swimming stuff and something to wear.

"He agreed to dinner and drinks, I wasn't about to push _our_ look." Hermione stressed the _'our'_, reminding Ron she was doing this for both of them. "After all, I didn't make this bloody mess."

"How many times do I have to apologise?!" Ron asked desperately, "Once I said it Harry wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't let me in!"

"Do you blame him! You voiced his worst fears about two hours after Ginny and him broke up." Hermione shot back.

"She's my sister, I'm supposed to protect her from harm and when I saw her so broken, so helpless, it was like this fire inside me erupted and all I saw was who caused the pain, Harry her boyfriend, not Harry our best friend. I know I was stupid! Don't you think I know that?!" Ron cried.

"I know." Hermione whispered, "It's just...it wasn't supposed to be this hard after the war. I always thought the worse was over and nothing could come in between us."

"I know...and thanks, I know how much you hate the idea of surfing." Ron climbed out of bed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back into his chest.

"It's not that bad, I know the general idea." Hermione rolled her eyes, grabbing a bikini, vest top and some shorts, "And besides if I die I can come back and haunt you."

"Don't joke, I'll be worried all day!" Ron scowled, kissing her neck tenderly.

"Look, Harry would never let me die, regardless of how he feels at the moment and I'll keep my wand on me so I'll be able to aparate away." Hermione shrugged, "Crisis solved."

......

Harry walked into his flat, looking around and seeing Joe and his girlfriend, Sadie, sat at the breakfast bar, eating toast. Harry smiled at them and made his way over to the fridge, pouring a glass of milk and grabbing an apple off the side. Studing the two of them. They were completely different in looks, Joe was very tall, bordering 6ft4, with wavy, dark hair and strong features, whereas Sadie was short and pixie like, delicate features and short blonde hair.

"So about Saturday..." Harry started.

"Forget it." Joe shrugged.

"No, what I said was stupid and out of line. I'm sorry." Harry apologised, he wasn't about to lose Joe as well.

"Apology accepted." Joe grinned.

"So I'm off to get changed, do you get the day off too, or are you going in later?" Harry asked.

"I'm off as well, though I hear all the new recruits have to go in, Peters' is going to make them do circuits." Joe's grin got wider at the thought of all the new recruits having to do circuits.

"I hope he doesn't kill them. By the way, I'm going out from dinner and drinks with Hermione and Ron tonight, that's if Hermione goes through with this." Harry laughed at Joe as he choked on the piece of toast he was eating.

"What?" He coughed out.

"I'm teaching her to surf; she hates it as much as playing quidditch." Harry laughed.

"And she agreed?" He asked, shocked.

"Yeah." Harry nodded.

"This I've got to see. Want to go to the beach, babe?" He asked Sadie.

"Sure." She shrugged.

"Half an hour." Harry told the two of them, disappearing into his room.

......

"Why oh why did I agree to this?" Hermione moaned, looking at the surfboard in front of her.

"Right, I think we'll practice popping up first on land." Harry told her, "So you need to lay like this, as if you're paddling, then pop-up."

They stayed on land for at least half an hour, going through the basic footwork and idea of surfing, Joe and Sadie in fits of laughter to the side of them, Hermione sending them glares every so often while trying to get the hang of it. She noticed how her board was longer than Harry's, maybe that was what was wrong!

"Why's your board shorter? Maybe it'll help me." Hermione's hope in her voice made Harry laugh.

"Because yours is a longboard, more stable for beginners." Harry told her, "You'll appreciate it when we're out there." Harry told her.

"Did we miss the party?" Ron asked, suddenly aparating next to Joe and Sadie, Angelina, George and Ginny next to them.

The tension in the air seemed to immediately thicken at the presence of them. Harry looked at Ginny, taking in her figure hugging blue jeans, white vest top and emerald green cardigan she was wearing,_ 'I want her back, I want her back' _chanting through his head and to get her back he needed to show her he was different to the person to who he'd been for the last nine months. Sadie seemed a little star struck, being a huge quidditch and Harpies fan she loved Ginny's flying and seemed to be in shock.

"You're Ginny Weasley!" Sadie exclaimed excitedly.

"I told you I'd met her." Joe mumbled next to her.

"Yeah but I didn't believe you!" Sadie rolled her eyes at Joe.

"Hi." Ginny said, giving her a small awkward wave, she'd never quite gotten used to the attention her fans gave her, "How you doing Archfield?" Ginny asked, plonking down in the sand next to Joe, ignoring the looks Harry and the rest of the group were giving her.

"Good, and you?" Joe asked.

"We just won the championship." Ginny shrugged, "What?!" She asked, turning to the rest of the group who obviously had been expecting something a little more dramatic between Harry and Ginny, given their last few encounters.

"What are you doing here Gin?" Harry asked, mentally scolding himself for using her old nickname.

"It's Hermione surfing! No offense I love you and everything and you have many talents, but sport is just not one of them." Ginny held her hands up innocently as Hermione glared at her, "This is something you'd have to bury me next to Volde to stop me seeing!"

"True." Harry smiled slightly at Ginny, "See now you've a proper audience." Harry said with fake enthusiasm to Hermione.

"No sex for a month!" Hermione told Ron, watching him cower.

"Come on then, I see a good wave coming in." Harry told her, taking off towards the water and jumping onto his board once he'd gone deep enough, "COME ON!"

"Screw it." Hermione muttered, running in after Harry.

"Anyone placing bets on how long until she wipes out?" George asked, ducking as Angelina made to whack him over the head, "One minute, two tops?"

"Don't be mean!" Ron muttered, watching Hermione carefully as her figure got further and further away.

"You're the one who brought us all out her." Ginny scoffed, "Nice punishment by the way."

"Shut it Miss Celibate for nine months." Ron shot back, making all heads turn to Ginny in surprise.

"It's not been nine months thank you very much and just because I, unlike some people, can last more than twenty-four hours without sex, doesn't mean I'm celibate." Ginny looked pointedly at Ron, "Why would you rather me go home with the next guy that tried to pick me up at a club?" She asked George and Ron.

"No!" They both replied at the exact same time and both as adamant, "Though you could date."

"Yes in all the spare time I have." Ginny bit back sarcastically.

"Two and a half minutes." George laughed, watching a spluttering Hermione resurface, bobbing along next to her board.

"Not too bad." Ginny shrugged.

"When do you here about England?" George asked Ginny.

"I'm not going to get in, there are at least thirty, better, more qualified chasers to choose for, and they only need five." Ginny rolled her eyes, "Besides, they hate that I play for a Welsh team."

"But you still have a decent shot, especially as you drew with McAdams' for the top scoring points this year." Angelina grinned, "I know he wasn't too happy about that, an eighteen year old stealing his thunder."

"He's an ass, all the more reasons not to play." Ginny mumbled and they continued for a while on the current England team and their chances of winning the world cup this upcoming summer. "And besides, he's the captain and he hates me."

"I don't think he quite hates you Gin." Angelina's eyes twinkled, "Call it sexual tension."

"Not a chance in hell." Ginny scoffed, "So where in the ministry do you work?" She asked Sadie.

"The department for the regulation and control of magical animals." Sadie told her, "I work with dragons in Britain and then hand them to different people in different countries. You don't know a Charlie Weasley do you?" She asked.

Both Ron, Ginny, Angelina and George laughed, "He's our older brother." George told her.

"Really? I've met him a couple of time, nice guy." Sadie laughed.

"Have I got competition?" Joe asked, pouting slightly and wrapping an arm around Sadie.

"God mum would love it if you did." Ginny laughed.

"Poor old Charlie hasn't found himself more than a six monther." Ron laughed.

"Yeah and only Andrea lasted that long, mum actually got quite excited about them." Ginny muttered.

"You shouldn't mock Gin, I overheard her talking to one of her witch friends about their son, and he's your age." George teased.

"Oh dear god." Ginny fell back into the sand, "Save me now."

"From what?" Hermione and Harry asked, who'd now returned to shore without them noticing because they were too busy talking.

"Mother is trying to set Ginny up." George told them, watching Harry for a reaction.

"Who with?" Harry asked quickly, sounding rather defensive, or at least George thought he did because a small smirk played on his face.

"Don't know, I'd quite like to keep it that way." Ginny muttered, squinting up at him, the sun obscuring her vision. Taking in the grey and black gingham board shorts and Gul rash vest that was keeping him warm. He had his wand strapped to his leg that was disguised so that only wizards could see it and it was water repellent, like the phone in his pocket.

"So I believe I own you two lunch and drinks." Harry told Ron and Hermione.

"That was the deal and if you back out now no magic will be able to save you." Hermione muttered angrily.

"Alright, let's just go back to my flat, that way you can get changed and everything." Harry turned to the other, "I'll see you later." His emerald orbs lingering on Ginny for slightly longer before turning and following Ron and Hermione towards his flat.

.....

"Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit." Ron laughed, looking around the muggle traditional English pub/restaurant that Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny used to spend a lot of time in.

"Harry dear, how nice to see you again." The old lady who owned the restaurant, Emily Gray, smiled at Harry fondly. She had a Mrs Weasly-ish presence about her and always fussed over Harry. She would remember when he'd come with a pretty red-head girl, they'd been so in love, then around eleven months ago they began coming less and less until a bit over nine months ago she'd stopped come altogether, leaving only a depressed looking Harry to eat here.

"Emily!" Harry stood up and hugged Emily, "How are you?"

"I'm very well thank you, Walter and I have just been up to Whitby for a week with the grandkids." She grinned.

"How old are they now?" Harry asked, knowing how much she loved to talk about her grandkids.

"Seventeen and sixteen, oh they're growing up so fast!" She smiled happily, "What can I get you all?"

"I'll have a bacon butty and black tea please." Harry smiled.

"We'll have the same." Hermione smiled at Emily.

"Coming right up." She smiled at the three of them for a moment before leaving.

"She's still an old sweetie." Ron grinned, "Who makes the best butty's in the world."

"Oi!" Hermione hit Ron's arm, glaring at him.

"Yours are gorgeous but Emily's are....something else." Ron sighed dreamily.

"Just be thankful he's talking about food." Harry commented dryly.

"So..." Ron stared but seemed to be at a loss for words, for once.

"It shouldn't be this awkward." Hermione muttered, looking at the glass in front of her.

"Give it time." Harry commented, looking down at his place setting, "So how's the wedding going?" Harry asked finally.

"Great, most things are sorted, got a great band to play, the flowers are ordered, no major snags yet." Hermione smiled.

"Careful, you'll jinx it." Harry said lightly, "What about the shop, are you still working there?" Harry asked Ron.

"Yeah, but it's not for much longer. When do you start taking new recruits for the auror office?" He asked Harry.

"September, but I'll place you in the second year, you've covered most of what we do in the first year anyway, that's mainly to kick out the completely useless ones." Harry grinned as looked over at their food coming.

"Oh this is so good." Ron moaned in pleasure as he took a bit out of his bacon butty, squirting ketchup on the side and carrying on eating, getting strange looks from the people around them.

"Ron, it's a sandwich." Hermione said as if she were talking to a five year old.

"An oh so tasty sandwich." Ron grinned but then his face fell slightly and he turned to Harry, "I want you to know that when I said those things I was so furious I could hardly see straight. You know how I get when I'm angry and the stupid things I say but it's not an excuse. I also want you to know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be friends again and that I am truly sorry for what I said."

"And I'm sorry for shutting the two of you out." Harry returned, meeting Ron half way there, "But you have to understand this isn't something I can just brush under the rug and the pretend it never happened. What you said really hurt."

"I know that and I don't expect everything to just change back to what it was. We're not the same people we were two years ago, fresh out of battle with that invincible feeling. Sometimes I think after we'd mourned the lost and started living again, that month was just too perfect, playing quidditch everyday, laughing, swimming, it was too perfect and nothings every going to be that easy again." Ron looked down at the small piece of sandwich that remained, studying it.

"But somewhere inside us are those three people." Harry told Ron, "It's like they've changed their appearance but they're still there, underneath everything. It's just finding them that's the problem."

"So what do we do?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Well, think of it as a well built building that was blown up, everything's in ruins but the foundations are still there and intact, it's just a case of rebuilding it to what it once was, or better." Harry told them, "Small steps."

......

"So what happened?" Holly asked as Ginny returned to the apartment, "Any fireworks?"

"No, he was...nice. He seems different." Ginny shrugged, walking over to the fridge and pulling out something for lunch.

"There's a letter for you." Holly told her, "I've been waiting for you to open it for ages!" she exclaimed, her American accent suddenly becoming quite thick with the excitement in it.

"Why?" Ginny asked, frowning and walking over to where Holly was waving about a letter.

"Something about the IQA!!" She exclaimed.

"What?!" Ginny asked, suddenly leaping at the letter.

"Well...?" Holly asked as Ginny opened the letter in a hurry and began reading the letter, her face a mask, "Come on...tell me! Did you get in?" She asked, "Will I playing against you in the world cup?!"

Ginny continued to just stare at the letter, reading it over and over again, making Holly more impatient, "Come on Gin. Tell me." She wined, making a grab for the letter, wrestling it out of Ginny's hand, "Dear Miss Weasley, we are delighted to inform you that you've been selected to represent England in this summer's World Cup Championship as a Chaser." Holly read squealing in delight.

"YES!" She and Ginny jumped up and down, hugging and screaming with joy.

"This is so cool!" Holly exclaimed happily, "I'll actually get to whack bludgers at you properly!"

"Oi!" Ginny yelled, "This is going to be weird, Lydia and Gwenog both for Whales, you for England, me for America and Frieda for Germany. Only Jens not playing internationally."

"We don't know, England always have a reserve seeker and Jen's got a good chance of getting it." Holly reasoned.

"Very true." Ginny laughed, still staring at the letter, joy spread across her features.

"So is it everything you'd thought it would be?" Holly asked, looking at Ginny carefully, "Getting the letter?"

"Nope." Ginny shook her head. Whenever she'd used to think about being called up to play for England she'd always imagined Harry standing next to her, yelling and jumping around too, even after they'd broken up she'd somehow always pictured him next to her and now it had happened and he wasn't there, it seemed so much more of an anticlimax.

.......

"Well from what I've heard you're well on your way to recovering you relationship with Ron and Hermione, and you and Ginny didn't rip off each other's heads when you saw each other earlier." Luna smiled her dreamy, absentminded smile at Harry, walking through the same park they'd been in two nights ago.

"Small steps." Harry repeated, a smile on his own face, "How do I get Ginny back?" He asked Luna.

"She still hasn't forgiven you." Luna told Harry, "We know how well Ginny can hide her feelings and she's doing it from everyone at the moment, the only person who knows what Ginny's feeling is Ginny."

"I used to hate it when she'd do that, say she was ok when I could tell she wasn't, she could fool anyone." Harry agreed, "But why does she need to forgive me? I didn't do anything."

"You broke her heart, you got angry at her for following her dreams, all she wanted was to sort out her quidditch, you should have backed off while she did, let her know you loved her and would be there." Luna told him, a note of disapproval in her tone and disappointment in her eyes.

"Has she talked to you about us? Or did she when we were together?" Harry asked Luna curiously; after all they were best friends.

"We talked over the phone, at the time I was abroad looking for new species but what Ginny said to me was private and I'm not telling you. But answer this, if I thought there was no hope, why would I help you?" Luna's silvery gray eyes twinkled.

.......

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm aware some people hate how OOC they are...Sorry. Someone said there's no logical reason why the characters should ever see each other again and while I appreciate your review and comment, you're entitled to your own opinion, I've tended to notice what you feel and what's logical don't always agree...but that's probably just me :)))**

**Anyway, please keep reviewing, I love hearing what you have to say :)))**** !!**


	6. Chapter 6

**HELLO! Merci beaucoup for the reviews you've given me, I passed 50!! WHOOP WHOOP so here is your new chapter, I'm posting this before I go out so in a hurry lol!**

Chapter 6.

Harry was just about to knock on Kingsley's door when the deep voice of the minister for magic told him to come in. Harry wasn't entirely sure why he'd been summoned to the minister's office, only that he wasn't aware that he'd broken any rules or done anything wrong. Kingsley was looking through some papers when Harry entered, they were moving around into whatever pile he pointed out, all stacked neatly. Kingsley stopped what he was doing and motioned to a chair for Harry to sit down in.

"I asked you here to offer you the position of head auror for the protection of this summer's England team." Kingsley told Harry, his deep voice letting loose to a little sympathy about Harry's current situation.

"That's usually given to a top level auror sir." Harry said in shock.

"Harry, you have been head of protection of quidditch all year, there's no one I trust more to do this job but I will also understand if you turn it down." Kingsley smiled reassuringly at Harry.

"Wow, thank you sir." Harry said, "I'll accept it."

"Brilliant, I trust you to assemble a team of both trainee and trained aurors." Kingsley told Harry returning to the papers on the desk, "Here's a file of all the team member and support staff."

"Thanks, I'll look through it." Harry told Kingsley, "When's the first England match?"

"Two weeks tomorrow but the first training session is tomorrow at ten at the Tornados stadium, it'll need to be sweeped first."

"I'll get right on it sir." Harry assured Kingsley, smiling at the older man before leaving the office, not believing that he, who'd been a fully trained auror for just over a year, had landed a job that usually went to those at the very top of the auror list, sometimes even the head auror.

.....

The 2000 England quidditch team consisted of thirteen players, two keepers, Oliver Wood and Damien Clagg, four beaters, Adam Platt, Will Whitehorn, Peter Summerbee and Kendra Watkins, five chasers, Kevin McAdams, the captain, Ginny, Alasdair Maddock, Marvin Wareman and Oliver Toots, and two seekers, Ian Bagman and Jenny. They needed that many in case someone was injured half way through the tournament, which often happened because of the stress and competitiveness of the game.

"Only three girls this year." Kendra grumbled, slowing her pace down to fall into step with Ginny and Jen as they made their way to the Tornado changing room.

"How many were there last year?" Jenny asked, looking around the stadium carefully.

"Four..." Kendra laughed.

"Ok, guys this is our head of security this year, Harry Potter, I'm sure you all know him." Kevin called, looking pointedly at Ginny, a smug smile on his face as Ginny just glared icily back at him.

"Right, we've secured the whole stadium and changing rooms. If you aparate in or out you must do so from a certain spot. There's also a dark magic detection charm around the place, in short, you're all safe." Harry told them all, "So good luck in the tournament."

"Thanks." Kevin smiled before continuing to lead the team into the changing rooms.

"Looks like a good team this year." Joe grinned at Harry as he looked around the stadium.

"I wouldn't have gone with Bagman for seeker, he's ok and has got skill but hasn't matured enough, someone like Gate's from the Cannons would have been better, he's caught the snitch almost every match it's because the keepers so terrible that the other team win on goals." Harry rolled his eyes at the team.

"I thought you hated quidditch." Joe raised one of his eyebrows in a knowing way, "Or does that depend on how bitter you are to a certain redhead?"

"Bit of both." Harry shrugged noncommittally.

"So what was going on with Hermione surfing, it didn't seem like the most....appropriate challenge to win back your friendship? And why are you the one doing all the work here?" Joe asked, scanning the stadium for anything that could be out of place.

"Hermione hates surfing with a passion, she's terrified of the rocks and water, agreeing to do it showed that she was willing to try again and provided good entertainment." Harry laughed slightly, "I want my old life back Joe, I know I'll be able to work through whatever issues we have if I could just have them back. I know what it feels to lose everything and I don't want to do it again and I can't see myself with anyone but her so there's no point looking."

"You don't have to marry them to date them." Joe scoffed, "It's about what you learn from each relationship, you've been in two relationships mate, and the first one with waterworks girl doesn't even count. How are you supposed to become someone who knows how to deal with stuff if you've never done it before?" Joe asked him.

"Fair point." Harry nodded.

"All I'm saying is you need to ask a girl to dinner or something, keep it fun and relaxed and get back out there." Joe clapped Harry on the back, "I'm off to my post."

.......

"Your friends' advice is good." Luna told Harry as she took a bite out of the strange looking sandwich she was eating.

"I know it is but it seems a little pointless to me, it's not like I'll want to marry the girl, I'm still in love with Ginny and I don't even know why at this point." Harry muttered, annoyance laced through his voice as he kicked a stone as they walked along the pier.

"There is a point Harry." Luna told him simply.

"How are you always right?" Harry asked her.

"Who says I'm right..." Luna trailed off, watching the sea lap against the rocks.

"You are." Harry told her, leaning against the railing next to her.

"I've met someone." Luna told Harry suddenly, "He's marvellous and he's also a wizarding naturalist and we have so much in common."

"Who is he?" Harry asked curiously.

"Rolf Scamander." Luna told Harry with a dreamy look on her face.

"As in Newt Scamander?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he's his grandson." Luna nodded, "We're going to Scotland next week to search for new species."

"How long for?" Harry asked, slightly worried.

"I have a feeling that everything will work out Harry." Luna told him simply, turning and walking away up the pier, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

......

"What can we do to prove to Harry that we're sorry?" Ron asked Hermione as they walked hand in hand through Diagon Ally, Ron taking a lunch break from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"I was thinking about this and I couldn't think of anything that can completely repair what happened." Hermione looked down sadly.

"It's never going to be the same, is it?" Ron asked grimly.

"No." Hermione shook her head, "But he's forgiven us before and there's still hope."

"I have an idea." Ron suddenly perked up, "What if we find some old school friends of Harry's parents, but instead of asking for photos, ask if they have any memories of them. I think Harry would like to see a time when his parents were truly happy."

"But who?" Hermione asked, "Most of their friends were killed by death eaters or Voldemort."

"Well, there's one person who'll know." Ron grimaced at the thought of the tubby professor who so blatantly ignored him in his sixth year.

......

Ginny collapsed onto the sofa, feeling the emptiness of the flat now that Holly had left for America that morning for her own training. She was exhausted, she thought that Gwenog worked them hard but Kevin McAdams' training was brutal, and she was in shape. Kevin was someone who knew how handsome they were and took it as their job to flaunt it, he was Witch Weekly's hottest male and made sure that every female knew it. Her other teammates weren't too bad, there was obviously the usual inflated egos because they were playing international quidditch but they were all in all nice people and Jenny and Ginny were already close because they were Harpies.

There was a knock at the door and Ginny begrudgingly rolled out the settee and walked jingerly over to the door, opening it to reveal Kevin McAdams himself.

"What are you doing here McAdams?" Ginny asked tiredly, leaning against the door.

"Came to see if you were ok after our training session." He grinned, producing a bottle of firewhiskey from the hand behind his back.

"Is that supposed to be charming or something?" Ginny asked, rolling her eyes at the man.

"Most women seem to like it." He shrugged, "Are you going to let me in or not?"

Ginny considered it for a moment, on the one hand he was incredibly sexy but on the other he was a pig, "Nope."

"Aww come on Weasley." He pouted and gave her the puppy dog eyes, "I'm not that bad."

"Sorry." Ginny shrugged, laughing at his expression.

"See! I make you laugh!" He exclaimed happily.

"How old are you anyway?" Ginny asked.

"Twenty five." He said, "Much more mature than any other youngster you've dated."

"I'm eighteen and you're my captain, you shouldn't be flirting with me." Ginny told him, "See you tomorrow at training."

With that Ginny closed the door on him, a small smile playing across her lips.

.....

Harry was sat in the small cubical he had at the auror office going over the plans for the stadium where the first match that England were playing was taking place, it was the same stadium that Harry had gone to in the summer before his fourth year, five years ago, the World Cup should have been held last year but Wizarding Britain was still recovering from Voldemort and it wasn't the best idea to host something so big while death eaters were still on the loose and seeking revenge.

"Well that looks fascinating stuff." Katie Clarke commented, perching on the edge of Harry's desk, one eyebrow raised.

"Well you know me, give me building plans and it's a party." Harry replied, looking up at the auror who'd passed at the same time as he and Joe had, "What's up?" he asked.

"I'm bored." She moaned, looking around the office, "Everything's shit at the moment."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously, placing the plans down and turning his full attention to the twenty two year old. She was the prettiest girl in the office by far and Harry knew that practically every single male in the ministry had tried it on with her but she was unreachable by most, only her and Joe had dated for a month a while back and they hadn't lasted long.

"I just dumped my boyfriend over the phone and I feel like a bitch." She mumbled, looking down ashamed.

"Text?" Harry asked, cringing in thought of the poor guy.

"In my defence he was emotionally cheating on me." She exclaimed, laughing at Harry.

"Emotionally cheating? What the hell?" Harry asked, confused.

"He was in love with someone from his work while attempting to date me." She grumbled, looking over the plans, "I love this stadium."

"It is impressive." Harry nodded, before faltering slightly, "How about a drink, you can complain about the ex and I'll complain about how the world hates me."

"Fine, but if you make my troubles seem pathetic I'll jinx you." She glared, jumping off Harry's desk.

"I'll attempt not to." Harry grinned, taking in her long, dark brown hair that was usually wavy and her bright blue eyes, she was beautiful.

They walked out the office and walked to the small pub that was located not far from the Ministry. Harry ignoring the looks that people were giving them, he realised that she must get what he did in the wizarding world, only she got it constantly, wherever she got. The pub was reasonably quite, only filled with people who'd just finished work and gone for a drink.

"What do you want?" Harry asked her, taking out some muggle money that he always carried around with him.

"Triple vodka and coke please." She told the bartender, "I'll get them." She told Harry, pulling out her own purse.

"Nah, I asked you here." Harry disagreed.

"Fine, but I'll get the next ones." She told him, putting her money back away.

"And you?" The bartender asked Harry.

"Pint of whatever's on tap." Harry told him, paying him and taking their drinks over to one and the settees and sitting down on it, "So how come I didn't see you at Hogwarts?"

"Well you were in first year when my darling parents pulled me out and sent me to a boarding school it Italy." Her voice suggested she wasn't particularly close with her parents.

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"I was...I didn't like being told what to do so made it my mission to go against whatever anyone told me to do, especially my parents, they didn't exactly know how to be parents and I'd grown up in a world of alcohol and shouting, and my brother showed me a way to piss them off and I followed his footsteps." A small smile played across her face, "I was in the year above Fred and George Weasley, he'll remember me."

"So what did you do to get pulled out?" Harry asked.

"Well there was a group of friends at Hogwarts, I'm not sure if they were friends but we all wanted a good time, to be on top of the world, and it was summer, freedom, we were doing what we liked, drugs, alcohol, parties and one party got way out a hand and I ended up OD-ing and being rushed to St. Mungos." She shrugged, "That was the last straw, they got me away from my friends and chucked me in a boarding school in Italy, I'm half Italian, though I take after my dads completion so you can't tell, but I can speak fluent Italian, they didn't care what I got up to as long as they, or their friends, didn't hear about it."

"That's pretty shit." Harry nodded, taking a long drink of his beer.

"They did what they thought was best and at the end of the day by the time I was nineteen I'd done everything, drank, drugs, partied, sky diving, bungee jumping, and that lifestyle sort of lost its appeal, I'd come out alive and decided I wanted to do something useful so I signed up to be an auror, I think me and Joe were the last ones before they stopped because of Voldemort and everything." She shrugged in a sort of that-was-that way.

"I can't believe you did all that before you were nineteen." Harry smiled.

"I was intent on doing what I wanted when I wanted. I was incredibly selfish now I look back, the only person I ever cared for and loved was my big brother." She looked sad for a second, "So what about you then?"

"What about me?" Harry asked, taking another gulp of beer.

"Why aren't you with some pretty girl being all in love?" She asked, her eyes twinkling.

"I am with a pretty girl." Harry replied cheesily before cringing outwardly, "Jesus that was bad wasn't it."

"Yeah." She nodded, looking down embarrassed.

"God....I'm sorry it's been a long long time since I went anywhere with a girl I'm not best friends with so this is new for me." Harry gave her an apologetic smile.

"Apology accepted." Katie smiled, chuckling slightly.

They continued to talk for a while and Harry found it surprising how easy it was to talk to Katie, she was funny and smart, liked quidditch and muggle films. She was a distraction, a good one.

......

Ron and Hermione stood outside the an impressive looking town house in the outskirts of London. Looking at the door they tried to decide which of them would knock and have to face Horace Slughorn and in the end Hermione ended up pressing the doorbell and waiting for the tubby man to answer.

"Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, how nice to see you!" Horace exclaimed happily, "Do come in."

Ron scowled slightly, Slughorn was only nice to him now that he'd been involved in the hunt and downfall of Voldemort, he now saw Ron as worthwhile, "We were wondering if you could help us." Ron told Horace.

"With what my boy?" He asked, walking over to a drinks cabinate and pulling out some mulled wine, "Drink?"

"No thanks," Ron was reminded of the other time he'd taken an offer for a drink with Professor Slughorn, not a good idea to repeat it.

"We were wondering if you knew any of James and Lily's old school friends. We're trying to collect some memories for Harry, his parents in happier times." Hermione told her old professor.

"There's only one of James and Lily's close friends that survived but I don't know where she is." Slughorn looked glum.

"Who is she?" Ron asked.

"She was Lily's best friend, I heard that when Voldemort went after James and Lily, Lily begged Fay to leave, to disappear until it was over." Slughorn looked down, "She was a bright girl, Fay Collins, I was sad to hear that she'd left."

"And you've no idea where we can find her?" Hermione asked.

"None." Slughorn shook his head sadly.

"Thank you for your help Professor." Ron smiled, standing up with Hermione.

"It's Horace." Horace told Ron, holding out his hand.

"You'll always be Professor Slughorn to me." Ron shrugged, shaking his and hand and leaving the house.

"So I guess we've got our next task." Hermione smiled slightly, "Track down Fay Collins."

.......

"I had a good time; I really needed it, thanks." Katie told Harry, pausing outside her flat door.

"Me too." Harry smiled at her, "I know you've just broken up with your boyfriend but I was wondering if you'd like to go on a...date with me?" Harry asked her, rubbing the back of his neck subconsciously.

"A date?" Katie asked, a smile forming on her pretty features.

"Yes, a date." Harry nodded, "I'll understand if it's too soon."

"Why not." Katie smiled, "Friday?" She asked.

"I'll pick you up at seven." Harry grinned.

"What shall I wear?" Katie asked.

"Hmm...anything you want to." Harry smiled, "I'll see you later."

"Bi." Katie watched him walk down the corridor and down the stairs, turning back to grin at her once before leaving, a smile on his handsome face...

......

**Hmm, so what do you think of Ron and Hermione's plan?**

**And what about Katie and Kevin?  
Brownie points to the person who guesses which character I got the idea of (younger) Katie from? She's a mix of me and this other person...**

**How are you like the story?**

**Lots of parties at the moment for end of summer/results...very fun, though someone did OD on alcohol and became unresponsice, we ended up taking her to A+E to have her stomach pumped, not fun!  
ANYWAY I'm babbling so....PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my reviewers and readers, nobody guessed : ( **

**The correct answer is Effy from Skins, one of THE GREATEST programs to grace us with its presence, luckily from Katie she got Effy's looks and not mine seen as I don't draw guys attention on the street! Well as far as I know I don't...**

**Anyway here's your next chapter...Sorry it took so long, been really busy then the site wouldn't let me upload it (???)...**

**Chapter 7.**

Harry unlocked the door to his flat, hoping Joe was home so he could talk to him, however the flat was empty when Harry looked around and he sighed slightly, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a butterbeer. He wandered over to the TV and flicked through the channels, past the reruns of old soaps like Corrie and Hollyoaks and stopping when he got to movies, hoping something good would be on seen as he wasn't particularly tired. He settled on the classic teen flick _'10 things I hate about you'_ smiling as Kat slammed into Joey's car, classic.

"Hey." Joe entered the flat a few minutes later, looking over at the TV, "What's this?" He asked, grabbing a butterbeer from the fridge and sitting down next to Harry.

"10 things I hate about you." Harry told him, "Good film."

"Looks funny." He nodded.

"So I want to ask you something." Harry started.

"Ask away." Joe took a swig from the bottle.

"Katie Clarke." Harry said simply, "I wanted to know if it would bother you if I went on a date with her."

"A date with Katie?" Joe asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

"Don't see why not." He shrugged.

"So you're not bothered?" Harry asked, looking thankfully at Joe, "Because she's nice and I think I could like her."

"Me and Katie were a long time ago." Joe shrugged.

"What actually happened because I wasn't there at the time but people still talk about it sometimes?" Harry asked curiously.

"We...we weren't dating in the traditional sense." Joe started hesitantly, "She was nineteen, mysterious, drop dead sexy, smart, and funny, with this past that was so intriguing. When she flirted with me she made me feel like 1000 galleons one minute and then not even worth a knut the next."

"But you got together didn't you?" Harry asked, curiously.

"We used each other, I'll admit it. I mean of course I liked her but I don't think I ever loved her, not in the way she wanted or needed and she used me, I was a sort of experiment to see if she could have a normal relationship but it was never normal. It was too casual; she wouldn't care if I flirted with another girl in front of her. We were slowly destroying each other because we cared but just not enough to make it work yet we kept at it. When you were with Ginny and you walked into a pub or club with her and every guy turned and thought _'damn he's lucky'_ well I got that all the time, guys wondering what the hell I did to get her. She was too complicated for a fun, casual relationship." Joe finished.

"And you're sure you don't mind?" Harry asked once he'd digested all the information Joe had just given him.

"I'm in love with Sadie, just be careful around her, she can manipulate situations without anyone but her realising." Joe smiled slightly.

"Right." Harry nodded, "I think I'm going to turn in. Thanks."

"No problem." Joe smiled, watching as harry wondered back into his room...

......

Hermione searched through all the records from the year Harry's parents had been killed and the year before, looking desperately for the name Fay Collins. She's come across an article about her disappearance; it said that death eaters were suspected to be behind it. She looked at the records or all the registered and unregistered port keys that had left the UK in those years, there were millions.

"Any luck?" Ron asked, looking up from his own pile of papers.

"What if..." Hermione trailed off, thinking to herself.

"We found out what kind of wand she had?" Ron finished, grinning slightly at Hermione.

"Exactly, it would give us some indication even though I'm sure that Voldemort would have looked for it but after he was defeated she may have returned to using it." Hermione smiled back at Ron, for the first time in hours they sat back and put the papers down.

"She'd have got it from Ollivander I presume." Ron said, "We could pay him a visit tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan." Hermione stifled a yawn.

"Come on." Ron grinned, walking over to her and pulling her to her feet, "Let's get you to bed."

"By the way, I love you." Ron reminded her as he slid into bed next to her.

"Love you too." Hermione whispered before falling asleep.

......

Harry walked up to Katie's flat door and knocked, waiting patiently for her to answer while quickly looking himself over, grey/blue dark jeans and a casual shirt, his hair slightly messy and fully shaved. He could hear two people inside talking, arguing maybe seen as he couldn't work out what they were saying. Finally Katie opened the door, she looked a little angry but still smiled brightly at him, her blue eyes twinkling, her hair loose and wavy down her back.

"Hi." Harry smiled.

"Hi, sorry about making you wait, my brother's here and I didn't know he was stopping by." She grinned sheepishly.

"It's fine." Harry laughed.

"Come in, I'll be ready in two seconds." She grinned, leading Harry into the apartment where there was a tall, dark haired man stood, he had the same striking blue eyes as Katie.

"Hi, I'm Harry." Harry held out his hand to thee man.

"Nick Clarke." Katie's brother shook his hand, "Where are you going?" He asked Katie, the same angered and annoyed look on his face that Harry had seen on Katie's.

"To finish getting ready for my date." Katie shot back angrily, "Why are you here for him? You hate him?"

"Because I told him I'd ask you." Nick sighed, "And I have, end of the day Kate, it's your decision."

"Right." She nodded turning and leaving the room.

"It was nice to meet you." Nick smiled at Harry.

"Same." Harry watched Nick leave the apartment.

"Sorry about that, my dad's getting remarried and he wants me there." Katie called from the bedroom and Harry could hear her bustling around.

"You don't want to?" Harry asked.

"One summer I came home from Italy to find he'd packed his bags and left me with my mother, I was 16 and I haven't really spoken to him since then." Katie reappeared from the bedroom and Harry took in what she was wearing, dark blue skinny jeans, a white ribbed tank, a black waistcoat over the top, and a black leather jacket.

"You look great." Harry complimented.

"Thanks, you look good too." She smiled, grabbing her purse, "So where are we going?" She asked.

"Surprise." Harry grinned, "So does anyone else call you Kate or just your brother?"

"Loads of people, it's Katie or Kate for whenever though when I'm in trouble with my parents, it's Katherine." She laughed.

"I like Katie." Harry grinned.

"Katie it is then." She smiled, "You're seriously not telling me where we're going?" She asked, following Harry who was leading her to a big, black motorbike.

"Nope, hope on." Harry told her.

"This is yours?" She asked impressed.

"Yeah, it was my godfather's but he left it for me." Harry smiled.

"You had an awesome godfather." Katie smiled.

"Yeah, he was pretty cool." Harry agreed, kicking the bike into life, "Hold on."

**Harry sped down the street and into the air, hitting the invisibility button as soon as they'd taken off. The wind rushed past them as the climbed higher and higher, the charm around the bike keeping them from being blown off or the wind getting in their eyes. Harry flew all the way to back to Torquay where he'd planned to take her to a small Italian restaurant before a walk along the boardwalk and pier and maybe out to the Harbour where Harry had a small motor boat, a ****Jeanneau Prestige 42 Fly, that they could take out.** "**Call me bias but I do love Italian food." Katie grinned as they entered the restaurant.** **  
"It's really good here." Harry told her, following a waiter to their table.** **  
"It's a nice place." She agreed, "Great atmosphere, smooth music." She laughed.** "**I'm glad you liked it." Harry smiled, "I personally recommend the duck."** "**Duck?" Katie asked.** **  
"It's great." Harry nodded.** "**Well I'll keep that in mind." She sent him a coy smile before turning back to her menu.** **......**

The England Quidditch team were sat in a booth in the hottest wizarding club in Britain. Hex was famous for its music and drinks, it's ability to make any night out great and it's magical atmosphere. It was two days before their first match against Spain, the opening match of the tournament and nerves were already running high for a few of the new members of the team. Oliver, Damien and Kevin made their way through the crowd to their table, the drinks in their hand as they passed them around.

"So I buy you a drink, take you out, train with you, flirt with you, compliment you and you're still not going to dance with me?" Kevin asked Ginny, pulling his best puppy dog eyes.

"Go on Gin, give him one little dance!" Kendra and Jenny called, giggling from the alcohol they'd already consumed.

"Fuck it." Ginny mumbled, picking up the Smirnoff Ice and downing it before climbing over to Kevin, "One dance." She warned him as she took his hand and followed him onto the dancefloor.

"So why do you hate me?" Kevin asked as he placed his hands on Ginny's waist, pulling her closer so they were dancing up against each other.

"You're going to talk all the way through this aren't you?" Ginny asked, rolling her eyes and turning so her back was pressed up against his chest as they danced.

"Maybe, you never seem to speak to me otherwise." Kevin spun her back around so they were nose to nose.

"I don't hate you." Ginny told him.

"But you don't like me either." He muttered.

"You act like a dick to get girls into bed." Ginny summed up.

"That doesn't mean I am a dick. You act like a cold bitch because you're afraid if you show any emotion people will think you're weak and judge your quidditch on your personal life." Kevin shot back but stopped when he saw the hurt look in Ginny's eyes, "I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes you did." Ginny stopped dancing.

"No I didn't, god you're so stubborn!" Kevin groaned in frustration.

"You're an arse who thinks he can speak his mind just because your face is adequately handsome!" Ginny shot back, turning away from Kevin and slipping through the masses of people on the dancefloor.

"Shit." Kevin muttered, darting after her, "Hold on a second!" He said, grabbing her arm and spinning her back around to face him.

"Worst dance ever." Ginny muttered, though a small smile was playing on her lips.

"It didn't end up with you jinxing me or kneeing my in the groin so I wouldn't go for worst dance, maybe just slightly bad." Kevin grinned at her charmingly.

"Fair enough, you sound as if you're speaking from experience." Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Had a few in my time, I've always been like this, even before I become a hot shot quidditch star." Kevin grinned.

"Who said you're a hot shot?" Ginny teased, heading over to the bar.

"Which Weekly, Which Broomstick, QW, erm....commentators..." He trailed off, smiling cheekily at Ginny.

"Wow...quite a list you've got there." Ginny nodded, slightly impressed.

"Though they also called you the best young player to come straight out of Hogwarts in a century so they may be a little iffy." He teased.

"Touché." Ginny laughed.

"How about we try that dance again and I'll be quiet the entire time." Kevin laughed, holding out his hand for Ginny to take. Ginny looked from Kevins charming face to his outstretched hand, she knew that this dance was more than a simple dance; it was an acceptance, an apology and a step forward. Not looking back she took it and allowed him to lead her back into the middle of the dancefloor.

.......

"So tell me something about you that no one else knows." Katie asked Harry as she took a sip of the white wine, her plate that had previously had duck on it was completely empty.

"Hmm, like what?" Harry asked her, finishing off the last mouthful of his lasagne and taking a sip of the beer he was drinking.

"Like anything." She shrugged, "I'm curious."

"Okay..." Harry sat back, thinking about it for a while, there wasn't much about him that Ron, Hermione, Ginny or Joe didn't know about him, "I...when I was 15 my greatest fear was turning into Voldemort, we had so much in common, no family, Hogwarts was our first real home, popular, intelligent, parselmouths."

"You can speak to snakes?" Katie asked shocked.

"Not anymore, it's really complicated." Harry shrugged, "What about you? Tell me something no one else knows."

"I've been out with you twice and I've already lied to you." She looked down guiltily.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, frowning.

"I didn't get tired of partying and drinking." Katie said in a quiet voice, "When I was in Italy I met this guy, Marco, he was Italian but had lived in America with his parents. When they died he moved back to live with his grandparents and when to our school. It was different to Hogwarts, it was in a big town and you could go out on nights, it was a lot freer. I'd made friends with this group, there were nine of us and we were close, each others family and Marc fit right it. To cut the story short I fell for him, head over heels, first love, all that lot but I didn't exactly know how to deal with it. We were out one night at a club and Marc got into this fight with somebody over me, and it got way out of hand, spells were firing everywhere and..." She trailed off, looking at the wine bottle and blinking rapidly to stop the tears falling, "And his got hit by something, we didn't know what it was and he died in the hospital."

"I'm so sorry." Harry said, looking at Kate with sympathy.

"We'd already finished my exams and the day after the funeral I left, I thought by turning my life around, becoming an auror, it would make me feel less guilty." Katie looked up, "And in one night you've managed to get my life story."

"It must be my charm." Harry grinned cheekily, making Katie laugh.

"Must be." She nodded.

.......

Kevin walked Ginny up to her door, smiling at her charmingly, "So do I pass the test?" Kevin asked.

"I'll let you know." Ginny grinned, turning her key in the lock but not going in.

"Come on Gin." Kevin rolled his eyes, "A yes or a no? Just let me know if I'm wasting my time."

"You want an answer right now?" Ginny asked, biting her lip.

"Yes." Kevin nodded.

"Fine." Ginny leaned up on her tip toes and pressed a gentle kiss against Kevin's cheek.

Kevin looked slightly shocked but quickly captured Ginny's face in his heads and pulled her into a deep kiss. They seemed to spend hours on her doorstep, wrapped up in each other. Finally Ginny pulled away, "Night Kevin." She grinned, closing the door behind her.

"Night." Kevin whispered after her, walking back out the building, not noticing the small camera concealed camera on the wall.

......

**Please Review my lovelies!**

**What do you think?**

**I'm hoping to have some Harry/Ginny in the next chapter, maybe a confrontation.**

**And Ron and Hermione will continue on their little mission.**

**....**

**Sorry again for the wait, there's a number of reasons, I went back to college on Wednesday, been training, lots of work, competitions....AND it wouldn't let me upload it for some reason, said converting error when I tried on Friday and Saturaday AND Sunday so it's been ready for awhile really....**

**Anyway, please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Pretty quick update for me ! : ) (i've changed the ending for those who've read before, corrected it :) )**

Chapter 8.

The cover of Witch Weekly the following morning was covered in a picture of Ginny and Kevin kissing on her doorstep, the headline blazing _'McAdams' scores again.'_ In bold black type, moving across the pages of hundreds of witches read the article in shock, some heartbroken over the fact that their favourite heartthrob was once again seen with someone other than them, others beginning to question how Ginny got on the team. Rumours were flying faster that Ron running from spiders and not all were nice.

"I take it you've seen then." Joe muttered as he saw Harry storm into the office, ignoring every look of sympathy and pity he got and slamming down some files on his desk.

"What do you think? Every bloody witch in the building seems to be reading it. You'd think they'd have better things to do than ready stupid gossip magazines." Harry snapped, picking up the itinerary for the following day in which England would face Spain in the opening match of the World Cup.

"I don't get why you're angry, if I'm not mistaken you did give Katie a goodnight kiss after your date." Joe shrugged, looking over his own itinerary and groaning at the fact they had to be at the stadium at eight in the morning the following day.

"Yes but I didn't plaster it all over the front page."

"They're two international quidditch players not the mention two of the most popular people in Britain; they're bound to get followed by camera's."

"He's older than her and obviously looking for a quick lay before the game. I can't believe she'd do this, she was always so concerned about what people thought of her quidditch career and how she couldn't do anything that would question how she got where she was." Harry shook his head, not believing that Ginny would do something so stupid.

"So you're concerned about her?" Joe asked.

"No!...Yes...I don't know!" Harry muttered, glaring at Joe, "I don't want her to get hurt again."

"Maybe she won't." Joe shrugged before leaving Harry and heading over to his own desk and a large stack of papers that warned against new spells on brooms.

.......

"Stupid git." Ron mumbled as they passed yet another person reading about Ginny and Kevin's _'love affair'_.

"Have you spoken to Gin?" Hermione asked as they walked through the main street in Diagon Alley that was packed with shoppers, towards Ollivander's wand shop.

"Yeah, I rang her and she's really annoyed, can't say I blame her but I guess they're going to have to win tomorrow to prove all these rumours wrong." Ron shrugged, stopping outside the old shop.

"I wonder how Harry's taking it." Hermione muttered.

"Probably snapping at people at this point." Ron said, pushing open the door and entering the shop, "Mr Ollivander!"

"Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, how can I be of service?" he asked them, seemingly pleasantly surprised to see the two of them.

"We were wondering if you could do us a favour." Hermione started, "I don't suppose you'd remember a Fay Collins?"

"Fay Collins, ahh yes, why?" He asked, suddenly slightly suspicious.

"We want to find her, we're trying to find some memories of his parents when they were happy for him." Ron told him.

"And you want to know what her wand was?" Ollivander asked them.

"It would help us find her." Hermione nodded.

"Twelve and a quarter inches, mahogany, swishy, with a unicorn tail hair." Ollivander told them, "Fay Collins has been missing for over 19 years, I highly doubt she'll be easy to find."

"We're hoping she's become comfortable and possibly sloppy." Hermione smiled, "I think she'll want to meet Harry as well."

"Fair enough." Ollivander smiled.

"Thank you." Ron told him before leaving the shop.

.......

"Please open the door Ginny." Kevin called from outside the doorstep. He'd been there for five minutes now, pleading with her to let him in, hoping they could at least talk about the magazine. Ginny was stood on the opposite side, biting her lip and contemplating the possible options. She walked forward on unlocked the door, allowing him to enter even though she was dressed in some simple dark blue jeans and a gray jumper had once belonged to Bill and fell down to just over her knees. Her hair was in a messy bun and her face was clear of any makeup.

"Thanks." Kevin whispered, looking around the flat. It was nicely furnished with a chocolate brown suede three piece suite, a matching rug on the wooden floor, a coffee table in front of the TV that most young wizarding homes now had, learning to embrace muggle technology as well as they're own magic. There were pictures everywhere, some belonging to Ginny, others Holly, some both. There were two photos side by side that Kevin could see straight as he walked in, one of seven red headed children, six boys and one girl, Ginny. Next to it was the same people although one of the twins was missing. They were smiling, laughing, joking around though the absence of the second twin was still obvious.

"So we made the magazines." Ginny muttered, looking around the flat and suddenly wanting Holly to be there with her, she'd have known what to do.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that, I had no idea people were watching us." Kevin told her softly.

"I know." Ginny muttered, "I've worked so hard this last year, given up so much just so people will respect me and in one night I've managed to wreck all that in a kiss." Ginny ran a hand through her hair.

"You haven't wrecked it." Kevin's voice was low, "People love to gossip, when you play tomorrow you'll show everyone just how much you deserve to be on that pitch." Kevin strode forward and held open his arms, inviting Ginny to hug him, which she did.

"Thanks." Ginny whispered.

.......

"Should I be concerned?" Katie asked, perching on the edge of Harry's desk and watching as Harry riffled through his papers angrily.

"About what?" Harry asked, stopping what he was doing and looking up at her.

"I don't want to start getting involved with a guy who's in love with someone else." Katie told him softly, "Please tell me if I'm wasting my time."

"Katie..." Harry started, unsure of what to say.

"It's up to you Harry." She shrugged, slipping of his desk and walking away, smiling at Joe as they passed each other.

"Fuck." Harry muttered as Joe took the place that Katie had previously occupied.

"I told you that you needed to date other people because if you jumped back into your relationship with Ginny them all the previous problems would still be there and you wouldn't know how to deal with them. Screwing up a potential relationship after one day doesn't seem like the right direction." Joe told Harry.

"You're not helping." Harry muttered.

"I know." Joe said simply, "Do you want to cold hard truth?" Joe asked.

"Yes!" Harry said, exasperated.

"You're angry at Ginny because she's doing what you're doing, dating other people, putting on a mask of being happy, and you don't think she should be allowed to do that because she broke your heart. It hasn't occurred to you that maybe you broke hers." Joe told Harry simply.

"Right." Harry muttered, looking down, running a hand through his hair. The article had just pushed Ginny back into the forefront of his mind when he thought that he might be able to move on. Now it was clear he was never going to move on completely, never be in love like this again.

.......

"I've been thinking, what if we've been barking up the wrong tree." Hermione suggested as her and Ron sipped coffee in a small shop in London.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"I remember reading about how her father was a muggle, meaning she'd be familiar with muggle transport and the records say the last place her wand was used in the country was near Heathrow airport. She could have taken a flight to anywhere but I'd be guessing it would be to Massachusetts, they have the largest wizarding hospital in the US and wizarding community as well as the Salem Witches and Wizards Institute. She was a healer so could work in the hospital, use a fake name or something and after Lily and James were killed she might have decided to stay there." Hermione told Ron, piecing it altogether in her mind.

"Makes sense, so how do we get there?" Ron asked, "And how do we know it's her? We've never seen a picture."

"Well we can get a port key as soon as tomorrow, and I bet Hagrid will know where to get a picture, he might even have one." Hermione smiled.

"I'll send him a message to meet us in Hogsmeade tonight for a drink." Ron smiled, pulling out his phone and texting the message to Hagrid, even if he hadn't got a phone then the message would change into a patronus and speak to Hagrid instead.

"So it's sorted then." Hermione smiled, "We'll go to the St. Nate's in Massachusetts and hope she's there."

"Sounds like a plan." Ron grinned happily.

"A crappy, rushed plan, but still a plan." Hermione smiled.

......

Harry was standing outside Katie's flat door, waiting for her to open it. Harry knew that people would think he was mad, throwing away a perfectly good chance with someone who was not only beautiful but smart. She was everything Harry wanted but couldn't have. She opened the door and her face showed that she already knew what was about to come, she didn't smile brightly like last time, just looked down rather than meeting his emerald orbs.

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered.

"I know." She nodded.

"I wish I didn't love her but I always will and dating you is not only leading you on but it won't help me get her back." Harry told Katie softly.

"I know, and I hope you get her back." Katie told Harry sincerely.

"Thank you." Harry smiled, "And I know this is none of my business but I think you should go to your dad's wedding."

"Maybe." Katie shrugged.

"People make mistakes and don't know how to take them back, that's only being human. I'm not defending your dad, I don't know him, but It's nice to be partly forgiven." Harry took one of Katie's hands in his and squeezed it, "You're amazing and one day you'll find a guy who'll love you more than anyone in the world."

"Maybe." Katie repeated, shrugging, "Now go and get her back."

......

"So what can I do for you?" Hagrid asked Ron and Hermione, taking a long gulp of the mulled mead that Rosmerta had given him.

"We were wondering if you remembered Fay Collins?" Hermione asked him.

"Fay, course I do. Why?" Hagrid asked.

"We're looking for her, we're trying to get hold of some memories of James and Lily when they were happy for Harry." Ron told him, "She was Lily's best friend and she's probably got loads."

"That's nice of you." Hagrid smiled down at the two of them, "What do you need me for?" He asked.

"We wondered if you had any pictures of her, we think we may have found her but we wouldn't know if we saw her." Hermione told Hagrid, taking a drink of her own butterbeer.

"I think I might, when I made Harry that photo album in his first year I took out most of the photos of her. Most of us assumed that the death eaters had got her but Lily told Remus and Sirius what had happened and Sirius told me. I still didn't think she'd come back, she's nothing left here anymore and Harry didn't need reminding of someone else he'd never know." Hagrid smiled sadly at the two of them.

"She was his godmother, wasn't she?" Ron asked, "Who else could it be?"

"Yeah." Hagrid nodded, "The photos are in my house."

"Thanks for this." Ron smiled at the half giant fondly.

"Anything for Harry, he deserves to see his parents happy when they were alive." Hagrid smiled.

They walked back to Hagrid's hut and he rummaged around a trunk that was stuffed below the large bed that Hagrid slept in. He produced a number of pictures of Lily and a blonde smiling girl, some had Sirius, James, Remus and Petigrew in. They seemed quite close. She was pretty, medium height, blonde hair, blue eyes, and defined features. Hermione felt a pang of sadness for this girl, every single one of her close friends were dead, she was the only one left, no wonder she'd never come back.

"Thank you." Hermione told Hagrid sincerely, picking up a photo of Lily and Fay; both in their seventh year, their uniforms loosened and messy, and the head-girl badge that Hermione had worn was pinned onto the robes slung over Lily's arm. They were laughing and they walked towards the person who'd taken the picture, Lily blowing him a kiss while Fay rolled her eyes, making Hermione think it was James photography.

"No problem." Hagrid smiled.

.......

Kevin finished the sup of tea that Ginny had made him and stood up, picking up his coat and turning to face Ginny, half wanting her to ask him to stay. She just smiled and stood up, walking over to the door and opening it for him, "See you tomorrow, bright and early." He smiled.

"Don't remind me." Ginny joked.

"It'll be fine." Kevin smiled.

"If you say so."

"Bye Gin." He smiled, turning and walking out the door and down the corridor.

Ginny sighed and closed the door, leaning forward and resting her head on the wood. How was it possible to feel so lost? If someone had told her eighteen months ago that she'd be playing for England, single and unhappy she'd have told them to piss off, she'd thought her and Harry would make it through anything, they'd made it through a year apart while he hunted horcrux's and she defied the Carrow's and then fought Voldemort and his supporters off but they couldn't make it through rumours and quidditch.

She didn't know what she wanted, some days she wanted Harry more than she could put into words, others she thought she hated him for breaking her heart. She wanted a top quidditch career and a family, two things that were notorious for not going together. She knew that when she wanted a family she'd have to give up playing, at least for the Harpies, they wanted a hundred percent commitment and a baby would not fit in well. Hell here she was thinking about babies and she didn't even have a steady boyfriend. Whenever she thought of a baby it would always be redheaded with green eyes, Harry's eyes. A knock on the door startled Ginny out of her thoughts.

"Harry?" Ginny asked surprised, looking at the raven haired man in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in? I want to talk to you." Harry asked, looking at her pleadingly.

.......

"So we'll take a portkey tomorrow evening?" Ron asked Hermione, packing some clothes into the small rucksack he was taking with him. It had been charmed so it was the same as Hermione's legendary beaded bag had been and now fit all of his clothes, Hermione's clothes, money, passports and toiletries. Handy.

"Yeah. It'll take us to the US Ministry of Magic." Hermione confirmed, "We need to be at the Ministry before nine tomorrow night so can't do too much celebrating once England stuff Spain."

"Confidence, I like it." Ron grinned, walking over to Hermione and wrapping his arms around her.

"I have confidence in Gin." Hermione smiled at the thought of her closest female friend and Ron's sister.

"There are more people than Gin who have to play great in order to win." Ron rolled his eyes at his fiancé's naivety when it came to quidditch, even after dating him for two years.

"I know that!" Hermione said indignantly.

"Sure you did." Ron teased her.

"Do you remember that day at that small lake we found?" Hermione asked Ron suddenly.

"Yeah." Ron smiled, "That was a great day."

_It was two months after the battle of Hogwarts and Hermione and Ginny were getting ready to go back to Hogwarts to finish their studies, Hermione because she wanted to, Ginny because Mrs Weasley was forcing her too. They were taking a walk through some woods away from Ottery St. Catchpole. They could see a large clearing ahead and Ginny took off towards it, dragging Harry along with her. They broke out into a clearing, a small lake in the middle, it's waters reflecting the clear blue sky._

_  
"Wow." Ginny whispered, picking up a stone and attempting to skip it across the still water, watching the water ripple where it had been hit._

_  
"This place is beautiful." Hermione exclaimed happily._

_  
"Sure is." Ginny agreed, moving around and examining the clearing, carefully walking around so she was behind Ron, who was peering over the water. She winked at Harry and nodded towards Ron, who was still oblivious to the two of them._

_  
"Now!" She yelled joyfully, knocking Ron over and grabing his arms while Harry picked his up from his legs and they swung him into the waters with an almighty splash._

"_AHH COLD COLD COLD!" Ron screamed in a rather high pitched way, making Harry, Hermione and Ginny collapse with water, "IT'S FREEZING!" He yelled indignantly._

_  
"Yeah yeah." Harry rolled his eyes and pulled off his t-shirt and jeans, laughing as Ginny wolf whistled at him before he jumped into the water after Ron._

_  
"Bloody hell!" Harry exclaimed as the freezing water hit him._

_  
"Told you!" Ron stuck his tongue out childishly._

"_Hey guys!" Ginny yelled, while they'd been talking she's scaled an overhanging tree and was now sitting o a branch almost directly above them._

_  
"Difindo!" Ron yelled, pointing his wand at the branch, making it snap and Ginny to come crashing down into the water alongside Ron and Harry._

"_Git." Ginny mumbled, taking the bobble on her wrist and tying her long, now soaking wet, hair up in a ponytail, "Come on Hermione!" She grinned._

__

"Not a chance." Hermione scoffed.

_"Fair enough." Ginny shrugged before pointing her want at Hermione before she could defend herself, "Accio."_

_Hermione was pulled towards Ginny and into the freezing water, letting out a squeal before she stopped in front of them, "I hate that you're 17." Hermione muttered grimly._

_  
"I love being 17." Ginny smiled, floating on her back through the water._

_Harry swam after her and tackled her in the water, pulling her under with him while Ron and Hermione climbed out the water and disappeared off back into the woods, leaving the two of them alone. They stayed entwined with one another for a few minutes until Ginny decided to wreck the moment by splashing Harry in the face._

_"Moment killer." Harry mumbled, waving Ginny's wand so his glasses became waterproof._

_  
"Next time bring your own wand." Ginny scolded lightly, taking it back off him._

__

"It's by my clothes." Harry shrugged, "So before you go back to school you should know that I love you and you've nothing to worry about."

_"Who said I was worrying?" Ginny teased while on the inside she let out a huge sigh of relief._

_  
"Oh I know you were." Harry smiled._

_"Well then, before I jet off back to Hogwarts you should know that I love you and you've nothing to worry about." Ginny grinned, "Pft. I'm like so over high school guys!" She put on a fake valley girls accent._

_  
"I knew I should have never introduced you to Laguna Beach." Harry shook his head playfully, pulling Ginny forward so they were pressed up against each other, kissing her deeply._

"_Oi Romeo! Come help me with this." Ron yelled, breaking their spell as he and Hermione aparated back to them, a tire and some rope in Ron's hands._

_"Genius!" Harry and Ginny grinned, rushing over to Ron to help tie the rope to the tree and tire._

"That was a great day." Ron smiled fondly at the memory.

"Everything was so much simpler then." Hermione reminisced.

.......

Harry wandered around Ginny's living area, taking in the photos and art on the wall. He'd spent a lot of time there at one point but it almost seemed foreign to him now. He stopped by the coffee table, looking at the book resting open, taking in the name and author and then looked up at Ginny who was standing against the wall, looking as awkward as he felt.

"So the flats not changed much." Harry looked around Ginny's flat, noticing that the only thing that had really changed were the lack of photos of the two of them.

"You didn't come over here to discuss the changes in my flat." Ginny said, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed in a sort of protective manor.

"No...no." Harry shook his head, trying to talk himself into what he came here to say, "I came here to ask you...Do you still love me?" Harry asked her, his green eyes meeting her own brown ones.

.......

**Please Review! X**

**I seem to say this but hardly anyone ever does so I'm waiting until I get 10 reviews until I post the next chapter! I know that annoys those of you who do review but...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the review guys!! I looked at my emails after college and was like OMG!!! WOW! I've fixed the mistake in the last chapter, sorry for the screw up I feel like a right idiot!!! And just to address a review, VikkiHSM, no I don't think Fay Collins was in the books, she's a figment of my overactive imagination ( if you want an idea of how she looked when she was younger think Pixie Lott or Britney Snow)...I just thought you always here about James, Sirius and Lupin being good friends that Lily must have had at least one good friend so...enter Fay Collins lol. Anyway back to the story...**

**Chapter 9.**

"_I came here to ask you...Do you still love me?" Harry asked her, his green eyes meeting her own brown ones...._

"What?" Ginny asked, standing up straighter and looking at Harry in shock.

"Do you still love me?" Harry asked her seriously.

"You can't just come over here and ask me that!" Ginny exploded, fire blazing in her brown eyes, "You don't have the right to screw with my head again!"

"Screw with _your_ head!" Harry's voice was disbelieving, "What the hell does that mean?!"

"You can't just show up after nine months of completely ignoring me and ask me how I feel about you! It's not fair on me!" Ginny told Harry, her voice shaking slightly.

"Hang on! Me ignoring you! You broke up with me!" Harry yelled back, standing up straighter.

"I wanted you to fight for me! Not jump into bed with the next blonde you meet!" Ginny spat out the last bit, disgusted.

"What?" Harry asked, his tone low, suddenly knocked off his guard.

"I know about the blonde bimbo you picked up about an hour after we broke up!" Ginny told Harry, hurt evident in her face, "I came back, I wanted to sort everything out, I thought we could make it through anything and there you were, on your doorstep snogging some blonde."

"Oh god." Harry muttered, running a hand through his hair, "You came back?"

"Yes! God and then I thought, _he'll come round and explain everything and we'll work it out_. I waited for ages for you! I'm always waiting for you!" Ginny cried, "Ever since I've met you I've had to share you with the rest of the world and I was ok with that because you're Harry Bloody Potter, boy wonder and I loved you, your hero complex is part of you and I accepted that. I waited for you to finish what Dumbledore left for you to do! I waited for you to kill Voldemort! I shared you with the rest of the world as they followed you for months after the battle! I shared you when I needed you the most! And when it comes to you having to share me with a few fans you can't do it!" Tears slid down Ginny's cheeks, unnoticed by her.

"You were never there." Harry whispered half heartedly, his argument sounding week in his own mind.

"After Fred died you didn't want to go anywhere because they would follow you and you felt guilty that people had died for you so I stayed with you in the house that had for many fucking memories it was practically killing me. I never told you how much it hurt, and when I said I was going for a shower or to think I got the hell out of there because every single thing reminded me of him. But I stayed for you. I would do anything for you and I didn't mind! Not once did I resent you, not until the last months when you made it so difficult to just go out and practice without feeling guilty, I couldn't play a match without feeling as if I was letting you down somehow. Which is crap because I worked my ass of just as hard as any other player to get where I am and the one person I wanted to share it with me the most it the world was making me feel shit about myself. So you can't come over here and ask me if I love you because you know the answer, you've always known the answer." Ginny looked at Harry with such hurt in her eyes it forced him to look away.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before?" Harry asked, sinking down into the settee, his head in his hands.

"I told you that you didn't have to worry about anything, not once did I even flirt or dance with another guy when we dated, when I went out I was with my friends. I never lied to you about anything I did. You decided in your mind that we were over long before I broke up with you." Ginny didn't move any closer to Harry, "I know I made mistakes, ones that I can't take back but you were so unforgiving. We're young; we're allowed to make mistakes in relationships."

"Where does this leave us?" Harry asked her, looking across at her.

"I don't know." Ginny whispered, sliding down the wall and pulling her knees up to her chest.

"What's going on between you and McAdams?" Harry asked finally.

"I don't know." Ginny repeated, "He likes me."

"Do you like him?" Harry asked softly.

"He's nice." Ginny muttered.

"Doesn't sound like a yes."

"Don't do this."

"Do what?"

"This! Ask me about Kevin to fill the silence, either say what you're actually thinking or go!" Ginny burst out.

"Fine!" Harry huffed, "I'm in love with you, I probably always will be. I love you so much it hurts! It hurt to see you kissing that tool and it hurt to see you so happy without me! I know we both screwed up but I love you and that's supposed to make everything better!" Harry exploded, standing up and walking out the flat, slamming the door behind him, leaving Ginny sat against the wall, knees tucked up to her chest.

"I love you too." She whispered.

.......

Joe watched as Harry entered there flat in a sort of trance, not seeming to know what he was doing, a glazed look over his eyes as he collapsed into the sofa, letting his head drop into his hands. Joe reached into the cupboard and pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey and two glasses before walking over to sit next to him. He filled the two glasses up and passed one to Harry.

"Thanks." Harry murmured.

"Want to tell me what happened?" Joe asked, taking a sip of the burning liquid.

"I broke it off with Katie and then went over to Ginny's." Harry said, draining his glass in one gulp and pouring another.

"Slow down, we have to work early and we'll all out of hangover cure." Joe told Harry warningly

"I told her I loved her and stormed out. This is after I learnt that not only was she a shit girlfriend but I was an even worse boyfriend." Harry muttered, sipping the liquid this time.

"That's not true. There were times when I remember how perfect the two of you were together, the first time I saw you two together I thought that when I want a serious relationship, I want one like that." Joe told his sincerely, thinking of the first time he'd met Ginny...

_Joe, Ron, Harry, Neville, Dean and Seamus were all out at the pub after just finishing a day of auror work, well Ron hadn't, he'd just joined them from the shop, telling them that Hermione, Ginny and one of Ginny's friends were on their way. Joe was teasing Harry about finally getting to meet the girl Harry had longed for when she'd been at school or Harpie practice. She'd only been playing for them a few weeks though so was still pretty unknown._

_"Hey!" Ginny, Hermione and a girl Joe recognised as Holly Philips, one of the best beaters in the league._

__

"Hi." Harry walked over to Ginny and kissed her deeply, Neville and Seamus all whistled while Dean clapped and Hermione and Holly laughed at Ron's expression.

_"Wow, hi, what was that for?" Ginny asked, recovering slightly from the kiss._

_"I missed you." Harry shrugged, "What do you want to drink?" Harry asked her._

_"Just a coke please." Ginny smiled, "Guys this is Holly." Ginny introduced them._

_"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you." Harry smiled at the woman._

_Joe watched in amazement at how Ginny and Harry were with each other, they'd found the perfect middle between being too in-your-face-all-over-each-other sort of thing and being totally distant. They were sat next to each other, Ginny's arm resting on Harry's lap, his wrapped loosely around her shoulders, completely relaxed with one another. They'd steel glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking, love evident in their soft eyes. If someone were to tell Joe that in thirteen months from now these two would have had a messy break up he'd have laughed in their face._

"You two were so great together most of the time." Joe reassured Harry.

"Yeah most of the time, that was the problem." Harry muttered bitterly.

"Nobody's perfect all the time, it's not human." Joe reassured him, "Me and Sadie fight all the time, it's about what you do after the fight."

"What do I do?" Harry asked, finishing off the glass and pouring yet another.

"The balls in her court now." Joe told him, "But you could always try and woo her."

"Woo her?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows and smiling at Joe.

"You know...charm her...show her you still care and can still make her heart melt or whatever girls prattle on about in books and films." Joe looked sort of sheepish.

"I won't ask how you know this." Harry laughed.

"I am the guru." Joe said, bowing slightly.

"Sure you are." Harry teased, "I'll send her flowers."

"Smooth." Joe grinned.

.......

The next morning rolled around with Ginny awaking exactly eight hours after she'd downed a sleeping draft the following night after two hours of tossing and turning. It was eight o'clock and the England players were meeting at nine thirty at the pitch for an eleven o'clock match. She had plenty of time as she rolled slowly out of bed and moved towards the kitchen, almost snail like with her speed. When she reached the kitchen she gave a start at the sight outside the window. Sat patiently waiting for her was an impressive looking barn owl with something tied to his leg that looked like flowers. She let him in and watched him, well she presumed it was a him, drop the flowers on to the table before leaving again.  
_  
'Good luck,'_

The card wasn't signed but Ginny would recognise the untidy scrawl anywhere, she'd received enough letters from him in their year apart while he trained to be an auror and she'd finished at Hogwarts to know it belonged to Harry. The flowers were beautiful, twelve long stemmed English Alba Rose's. It was cheesy and typical but something about it made Ginny want to dance around for some reason.

She placed them into a vase with water and left them in the middle of the table so she could stare at them in awe while she ate her breakfast. She showered and got ready, tied her hair back in a high pony and then disaparated from the flat at twenty past nine. The stadium was full of aurors running around and checking last minute security details, making sure all the wards were set up securely and that all aparation and port k. The stadium was full of aurors running around and checking last minute security details, making sure all the wards were set up securely and that all aparation and port keys ended up in one place. Ginny could see Harry talking with some other aurors, he looked as if he was giving them instructions and he looked completely in charge.

"Oi Weasley!" Oliver Wood yelled, causing Ginny to look away from Harry, "You comin to practice!?"

"Impatience!" Ginny called back, striding over to the lanky keeper, "So what are we doing?"

"One lap of the field and then straight into the drills we worked out last practice until ten. At ten the crowds come in and we have a team talk and relax until ten fifty five. Then we go out and show them who'd going to win this!" Oliver seemed slightly hyped up, bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously.

"Kevin made the final team decision?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, you, Kevin and Marvin are the chasers, Adam and Kendra are the beaters, I'm keeper, and Jenny's seeker." Oliver smiled as Ginny's face lit up in a grin at the fact she got to play with her Harpies teammate.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Ginny asked, walking with Wood into the changing rooms.

.......

Harry couldn't take his eyes off her, the way she moved through the air, so graceful yet so fast and dangerous. She was like a bullet. Nothing could stop her, she dodged bludgers, passed flawlessly and her shots were unstoppable. The Spanish side were currently in the changing rooms, having trained for half an hour at eight thirty to nine. As Harry checked his watch her saw it was nearing ten and waved at Wood, signalling him and the team to the ground.

"It's ten and the crowds will be piling in soon." Harry told the team, "Good luck today." He smiled at them, not looking at Kevin.

"Thanks." Kendra and Jenny smiled warmly at him before the all departed the the changing rooms, Ginny hanging back.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled, knowing he knew she was thanking him for the flowers.

"No problem, good luck." He smiled and squeezed her hand before walking towards the entrance point and watching as people had to pass through an invisible barrier like a magnetic detector in an airport.

"So how're things going?" Ron asked Harry and he and Hermione got past the barrier.

"Great actually, England's chances look good." Harry smiled, "Haven't seen you around for a while, is everything ok?" He asked.

"Yeah, just been really busy, we're actually going for a little get away tonight after the match, just to get away from work and everything." Ron told Harry.

"Really?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows at Hermione taking time off so soon before her wedding.

"Yeah, it's sort of impromptu but should be fun." She smiled.

"I hope you too have a great time." Harry told him sincerely.

"Thanks." Ron grinned.

"See you later." Hermione smiled and she and Ron disappeared into the stands.

.......

"That's another goal for England, they're just thrashing this Spanish defence!" Lee Jordan's voice echoed through the stadium just like it had in their Hogwarts years, "McAdams, Wealey and Wareman are really tearing up the pitch!"

Screams and inaudible yells rose from the crowd and Spanish chasers moved the ball down the field with expert ease, dodging a well aimed bludger from Kendra, "Wood dives....Fingertips guys, fingertips." Lee said dejectedly, "Spain score...that's 150 – 30 to England."

Harry watched as Ginny dodged out the Spanish players, passing at the last moments, her timing was impeccable, like she almost had a sixth sense. McAdams put it through the left hoop to widen the gap, the England supporters yelled in glee. Spain quickly got the ball moving, counterattacking the English attack and launching their own. However Adam's well aimed bludger knocked the quaffel straight out of their captains hands and into the waiting arms of Marvin, who threw it instantly to Ginny.

It all happened so fast, Ginny had passed it to Kevin and was shadowing when the Spanish beater still thought she had the ball, aiming the ball he smacked it in her direction, aiming straight for her head. The bludger made contact with a sickening crunch, Ginny not expecting it, watching Kevin instead, was thrown from her broom and plummeted downwards.

......

Voices were the first thing that started to emerge from the darkness, then colours, bright colours. People standing around her, talking quietly, moving around, "She's waking up." A voice she knew to be her eldest brothers, she could feel someone holding her hand, a weight at the end of the bed from someone sat there.

"What happened?" Ginny rasped out, her throat sore, "Did we win?"

"Here." George handed her a glass of water, "You got hit by a bludger, quite dramatic really."

"Well you know me." Ginny smiled weakly, looking around to see every member of her family and their significant others plus Harry, standing in a corner, when his eyes met hers she could see both the worry and the relief in them, "Did we win?"

"Yes, Jenny caught the snitch ten minutes after you were stretchered off." Charlie told her, who was visiting for the first match.

"Are you ok?" Molly asked, "Do you remember everyone?"

"Yeah mum." Ginny grinned weakly at her mum, "I'm fine, just a knock to the head."

"You didn't just fracture your skull in five places, you broke your leg and dislocated your arm!" Molly's voice was slightly shrill, "I told you quidditch would be bad for you!"

"Molly." Arthur said calmingly.

"Ahh, I see you've woken up, brilliant." A happy middle aged healer came through the door, "I'm healer Mike, you took quite a nasty fall Miss Weasley."

"Will I be ok for next match?" Ginny asked quickly.

"You should be." He nodded, "However do you have a roommate?" He asked.

"Yes, but she's in America at the moment." Ginny told him.

"You need to stay with someone, or someone to stay with you for the night, the bang to your head was pretty severe but you're ok to go home as long as someone's watching you." Mike told them.

"Ok." Ginny nodded, watching him leave the room.

"So want to stay with us squirt?" Bill asked her, teasing her with her old nickname.

"You guys have got enough on your plate without me." Ginny told them, "I don't think a baby and me would be a good mix at the point."

"I'm catching a port key back in an hour." Charlie told them, "So are Ron and Hermione."

"Guys I'll be fine." Ginny insisted.

"I'll watch you if you want." Harry offered, making the whole room go silent, "That sounded a lot less creepy in my head." He clarified.

"Are you sure?" Molly looked both happy and surprised at this sudden change in her daughter and her ex's behaviour.

"Yeah, if Ginny's ok with it, I know Percy has a big meeting tomorrow, Ron and Charlie are going away, Bill and Fleur have Victoire and Fleur's pregnant, and George is working on some new stuff so his flat's probably a war zone." Harry shrugged, "I've nothing else to do."

"You sure?" Ginny asked.

"Yes." Harry laughed at the constant asking of questions.

"Alright then." Molly grinned.

......

"You really don't have to do this, I'm fine, besides i'm sort of offended my parents didn't offer me to com home." Ginny insisted for what seemed like the millionth time since they'd left the hospital.

"They would have if they didn't know that you would never take their help. And could you please stop saying you're fine, in fact if you say that one more time I will silence you." Harry told her, unlocking her flat door and following her in, "The healer said you should get something to eat, what do you fancy?"

"Less than twenty four hours ago we were yelling at each other and now you're helping me, why?" Ginny asked, turning to face Harry.

"You know why." Harry shrugged, "Take away, pasta, sandwiches, toast?" He asked.

"Toast's fine." Ginny said, not satisfied with his answer.

"Hot chocolate?" He asked.

"Do you even need to ask?" Ginny laughed.

"I guess not." Harry laughed, pulling some milk out and warming it over the hob.

"Thank you for doing this." Ginny said, "So am I allowed to sleep or what?"

"It's fine and the healer said you should try and stay awake for three to four hours before sleeping, to check it's fully healed."

"Filmfest?" She asked.

"Why not." Harry laughed, toasting six slices of toast and buttering them, putting strawberry jam on half of them and leaving the others plain. He then added hot chocolate power into the milk and levitated it over to the coffee table.

"This smells so good." Ginny grinned, taking a bite out of the toast, "Thanks."

"So what's first?" Harry asked, looking through her limited supply of muggle DVD's, most of which were Harry's or bought for her by Harry.

"Wimbledon." She grinned, picking one of the few that she'd bought.

"Again?" Harry groaned.

"Stop moaning." Ginny laughed, handing him the DVD to put in.

"Fine." He huffed, faking a stop as he put the DVD in, truth be told he actually loved the film, not that he'd let anyone know that!

They were half way through the film when Ginny looked across at Harry, who was engrossed in the film, "I love you too." She told him watching his head snap around to face her.

.......

**So there's another cliffhanger!**

**  
Hehe! Please Review! I'm waiting until I get another 10 reviews again! MWHAHA!**

**This Fri, Sat and Sun I'm out on an 18****th**** weekend so won't be able to update (Please don't kill me!) and I still haven't started the next chap so it'll probably be around Tuesday for the next update, possible Monday night but I have college all day Monday so...I'll try !**

**  
Just a funny fact, my boyfriends younger sister did a past GCSE Spanish paper and the first question was 'What does Hola mean?' We laughed for hours...sorry...I thought it was funny...**


	10. Chapter 10

**So I had a VERY eventful w/e....lowpoint was defiantly missing the last train home last night/this morning and having to ring my older brother at five in the morning to come and collect us. Thank god he doesn't go back to uni until next weekend! I'm only awake right now because I had about twenty caffeine pills...**

**Chapter 10.**

"What!?" Harry asked, pausing the film.

"See! I knew you loved this film, why else would you pause it!" Ginny teased.

"Ginny, what did you just say?" Harry asked, looking at her deeply.

"I said I love you too." Ginny said softly, "Always have, always will."

"You love me?" Harry asked slowly, like a small child trying to comprehend that one and one is two.

"I just said that." Ginny rolled her eyes slightly.

"You love me." Harry grinned; he felt like a million galleons, Ginny loved him! Him! Nothing could possible bring him down from the high.

"But we can't be together until after the tournament." Ginny told him sadly.

Except perhaps that, "Why?!" Harry asked, shocked.

"Because the media are looking for any kind of scandal around me! One day I'm kissing Kevin the next I'm back together with you!" Ginny told him.

"We're not even back together and you're already putting quidditch before me." Harry muttered.

"Harry, please." Ginny looked at him, her brown eyes wide and sad.

"How about if we take it slow, dates but you leave with me under the invisibility cloak or disaparate from inside your apartment to inside mine and then we'll go from there." Harry said his voice soft.

"That sounds good." Ginny nodded.

"Really slow." Harry repeated, picking up Ginny's hand and interlocking their fingers together, letting her lean against him as he pressed play on the remote, "And beside, this is my favourite bit, didn't want to miss it." He grinned.

.......

Ron and Hermione landed in the American Ministry of Magic at exactly three minutes past nine GMT, when it reality it was only three minutes past four in Massachusetts, the sun was still out and people were still bustling around, busy working for at least another hour. American wizards looked no difference in appearance that British wizards, Ron didn't quite know what her was expecting but the only difference he found was their accents.

"So how do we start looking for her?" Ron asked.

"The hospital." Hermione said, taking his arm and aparating him to the Salem Wizarding Hospital.

This however didn't seem to be as busy as usually was when Hermione or Ron visited it. It had a quite sort of lull to it as they strode up to the reception desk, Hermione in front, Ron, his hand in hers, following.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help us?" Hermione asked the woman politely, whose name badge read Lauren.

"Sure. Where you from? You don't sound like you're from around here." The receptionist asked.

"We're from England but we're looking for someone, we think she could be a healer here." Ron said friendlily at the woman.

"Well I know all the healers so..." She looked at Hermione.

"This photo's pretty old." Hermione told her.

"That's Fay, Fay Peters. She started working here eighteen years ago, she's a bit of a legend actually, started just after the dark lord you had problems with fell." She smiled at them.

"We were wondering if you knew where we could find her." Ron asked.

"I'll page her, she's here right now." Lauren pressed a few buttons and then turned and smiled at the once again, "She's on her way now."

"Thanks for your help." Hermione told Lauren, watching as a blonde woman came striding into view in a Healers uniform.

"Hi, how can I help you?" She asked Ron and Hermione, over the past eighteen years she'd developed a slight American accent though you could still hear undertones of British.

"Hi, we actually wanted to talk to you." Hermione told her, "Here." She handed Fay the photograph of her and Lily.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, walking with them to the exit and sitting on a bench out of anyone else's earshot.

"A friend, Hagrid." Ron told her, "We're friends of Harry."

The name had an instant effect on Fay, she became less alert, her eyes filled with warmth and love as she thought of the godson that didn't know her. She led them to her office and sat down, looking at the questioningly, "So why are you here?"

"We were wondering if you had any memories of Lily and James when they were really truly that Harry could see, he's never seen them truly happy." Hermione told Fay, "We were also wondering if you wanted to come back with us, so you can meet Harry."

"I would love to but-" They were interrupted by a knock at the door and a teenage girl stuck her head around the door.

"Mum, I left my charms book here last night and I need them." She spoke in an American accent and looked very similar to her mother except for the fact her hair was dark brown, almost black.

"Ron, Hermione, meet my daughter, Rose." Fay introduced them.

"Hi." She smiled, entering the office and picking up the charms book, "I'll see you later?" She asked her mum.

"Yeah." Fay smiled, "See you later."

Rose left the office and Fay turned her attention back to Ron and Hermione, "I have a life here now, a husband and a daughter who I love more than anything. All my best friends are dead, there's nothing left for me, I'll give you the memories but it's easier for everyone if Harry never finds out. What would happen? We'd meet and then I'd go back to America?"

"I still think he'd want to meet you, just once." Ron disagreed.

"Lily was like my sister, she begged me to leave, wouldn't tell me where they were hiding and James agreed, to him I was a little sister who he wanted to protect, they both did so they tried, they knew that Remus and Sirius would never leave but if all of them tried they could get me to leave, and then one of our friends was killed because Voldemort suspected them to be the secret keeper and it seemed to put it all into perspective, loads of people were leaving so I did too." Fay looked down, ashamed of what she'd done, "In some ways I wish I hadn't, but in other ways, I met Andrew and I fell in love, got married and had a kid but none of my best friends were there."

"Remus was alive." Hermione told her, "He got married and had a son before he was killed."

"Remus got married and had a son?" She asked, surprised and happy.

"Yeah, he was so happy when Teddy was born; they died together in battle, leaving Teddy alone." Ron told Fay.

"If you're trying to guilt trip me into this you're doing a good job." Fay muttered, wiping away a tear that had fallen.

"We don't want to do that." Hermione said softly.

"I'll come back with you, but only for a few days." She told them.

........

Harry looked down at Ginny who was asleep on his lap, her red hair was covering her face and he was gently playing with it, twisting it around his fingers and letting it run loosely through. It was strange how different he felt in that moment to two weeks ago, it was as if his happiness depended on her and that wasn't necessarily a good thing, to have all your hopes and dreams within one person, but after all didn't someone once say that love is giving someone the power to destroy you...and trusting them not too. He and Ginny had practically destroyed each other last time but they wouldn't do that again....would they?

Harry muttered a spell and carefully levitated Ginny off him and towards her bedroom, deciding she'd be much comfier in her own bed. As her pulled the covers back and let her fall softly onto the mattress her eyes fluttered open, "What...?" She mumbled.

"I thought you'd be comfier here." Harry told her, pulling the covers over her.

"Stay." Ginny told him.

"I was going to sleep on the settee." Harry told her.

"Stay here." Ginny told him, catching hold of his hand, "Please."

The one word triggered something in Harry, he'd been so determined that he'd sleep on the settee and not next to her but hearing her ask him, sounding so small as she looked at him with pleading eyes broke whatever resistance Harry had formally had. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off the jacket he was wearing and pulled off his jeans so he was only in his socks, boxers and t-shirt and climbed into the bed, "So much for taking it slow." He mumbled.

"I haven't jumped you yet." Ginny teased.

"You're injured otherwise I wouldn't be so sure." Harry teased back.

"I'm not injured." Ginny huffed.

"Whatever." Harry laughed slightly and wrapped his arms around Ginny tightly, and she buried her face in his chest.

"I'm really not." She mumbled sleepily.

"Whatever you say." Harry smiled slightly, stroking Ginny's hair as they drifted off to sleep.

.......

"So what's the American Ministry like?" Hermione asked Fay as the returned into the building and towards the port key that would take them back to England.

"Not a lot different to Britain." Fay shrugged, "The school here is different to Hogwarts, a lot of the kids live locally, it's a really big Wizarding society, everything's out it the open and disguised from muggles, so they can come home at night but some of the kids from other places board but there're magic schools across the US, it's just Salem is the best so they're a few that board but the majority are day students."

"That would be weird." Ron said, "Going home after a day at school!" He said it like it was the most absurd thing in the world.

"Ron never went to primary school." Hermione explained to Fay.

"My mum taught me from home." He added.

"Yeah, a lot of my friends did that, more the ones from the more traditional families whereas my dad wanted me to get to know muggle ways." Fay nodded.

"I had no idea about magic until I was 11." Hermione laughed, "Weird really to think that now it's such a huge part of me and before I was 11 I had no idea it existed."

They talked easily until they were transported back to the Ministry of Magic in London, the familiar surroundings materialised out of nowhere as they landed.

"Welcome back." Ron grinned.

"Wow." Fay muttered, it had changed so much since the last time she'd been there.

"I was hoping we could go check on my sister, Ginny, she got a bludger to the head in a game and I-" Ron as cut off by Fay.

"Your sister's Ginny Weasley?!" She asked excitedly, clearly a quidditch fan.

"Yeah, you follow quidditch?" Ron asked as they walked out the Ministry.

"Religiously, I watch the British league because it's where all the good players are, I actually saw the game on the IQC, that hit was pretty gruesome." Fay nodded.

"Yeah and Harry's supposed to be looking after her, I'll just check they haven't killed each other yet." Ron told them, taking Hermione's hand and Fay's arm as he disaparated, reappearing on Ginny's doorstep.

"Where does she keep the disguised key." Ron muttered to himself, "The locks charmed so alohomora doesn't work."

"Here." Hermione pulled out a set of keys and found a key that Ginny had given her.

"How come you have a key?" Ron asked, unlocking the door.

"She gave it us ages ago." Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's forgetfulness.

"So either Ginny's killed Harry or I'm about to." Ron muttered upon not seeing Harry on the settee.

They made their way quietly down the hallway and towards Ginny's bedroom; Fay was lingering in the kitchen area, obviously not feeling comfortable as Ron pushed open Ginny's bedroom door and peered inside, "I thought they hated each other," was the whisper that reached Hermione as she looked in.

"Aww." Hermione cooed, looking at Harry who still had one arm draped loosely around Ginny's shoulders as she slept on his strong chest. His eyes snapped open at the noise and he looked at them, shock on his face.

Carefully he moved himself out from under Ginny and slid out the bed, "I thought you two went away?" Harry asked them quietly.

"So we have a confession." Hermione started once they were in the hallway, "The past few weeks we've been looking for someone, your mums best friend, because we thought she might have some memories of your parents you'd like to see, happy memories, and we found her."

It was then that Harry noticed Fay as they entered the kitchen. There was something familiar about her, as if he'd seen her in a dream or known her in another life. Either way he knew that she wasn't a threat. "Why?" Harry asked.

"We thought that you deserved to see your parents happy," Ron shrugged, "Also that you'd like to meet Fay and she could maybe answer any questions you had."

"You did this for me?" Harry asked, looking from Ron to Hermione, who both shuffled around a little.

"Yeah I guess." Ron mumbled.

"Thank you." Harry told them sincerely.

"Hi, I'm Fay, I was your mother's best friend." Fay introduced herself.

"I never knew you existed." Harry told her.

"I know you didn't." Fay nodded, "I'm sorry I've never been there."

"It's really late and I'm shattered, how about we do this tomorrow. Where are you staying?" Harry asked.

"The Leaky Cauldron...that is if it's still around." Fay shrugged.

"Yeah it is." Harry grinned, "I'll meet you there at twelve o'clock tomorrow and we'll grab lunch."

"Sounds good." Fay smiled, "I think I'll be leaving now. It was nice to meet you two." She told Ron and Hermione before leaving the flat.

"So you and Ginny?" Ron asked.

"We're giving it a try, taking it really slow and not making the same mistakes." Harry said, smiling happily, "I can't believe you found someone who knew my parents well."

"You deserve it mate." Ron told Harry, for the first time in over nine months he addressed him as 'mate'.

"Thank you, really." Harry smiled at them.

"We better get home, I'm seriously tired." Hermione told them, stifling a yawn as she said it.

"Night." Harry told the two of them, watching them leave the flat and walking back into the bedroom, climbing back into the bed and slipping his arms around his Ginny...

.....

**So...? Review!**

**How long do you think until they have another fight?**

**How long before people find out?**

**Seriously seriously seriously tired now, i may actually pass out! Reason for why it's shorter is tiredness and i still have a hangover so slightly out of it right now...x**

**10 + reviews please !**


	11. Chapter 11

**So I'm planning on bringing this story to a close soon, don't want to waffle on forever as it'll get boring and weird so....and I have to actually study and try this year if I want to get into med school!**

**Chapter 11.**

Ginny let her head drop on the table with a loud clunk as Hermione continued to talk about the wedding plans; she was highly excited knowing that the wedding was only two weeks away. However that meant plenty of last minute problems, dress fittings and jobs that needed to be done. Ginny, as the maid of honour, was supposed to be helping but girly weddings weren't exactly her strong suit.

"Come on Gin!" Hermione elbowed Ginny in the side to get her to sit up, "I hope you're planning a more eventful evening for my hen night!"

Ginny perked up slightly at the mention of the hen night, "Of course." She grinned, "My months with the harpies have served me well."

"Oh god, do I want to know?" Hermione asked.

"We'll do it a couple of days before the actual wedding, don't want you to look hung-over or anything." Ginny grinned at Hermione.

"Can you look hung-over after three days?" Hermione asked, looking both curious and shocked.

"Sort of." Ginny shrugged, "But we need you to be your usual exuberant self."

"Exuberant?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh shut it, I'm tired." Ginny mumbled, "I tend to say weird words when I'm tired."

"Like Harry get into bed with me?" Hermione teased, making Ginny blush scarlet and pick up the pencil Hermione had been using before throwing it at her.

"I did not say that!" Ginny insisted indignantly.

"Sure you didn't, maybe you should get hit by bludgers more often if it somehow managed to mend yours and Harry's relationship." Hermione grinned as Ginny spluttered.

"Shut up." Ginny muttered, still a pink colour.

"I think it's great you two are trying again." Hermione smiled genuinely.

"Thanks, let's hope that I don't screw it up this time." Ginny joked slightly.

.......

"So how did you and my mother meet?" Harry asked Fay, sitting down in a small outdoor restaurant in the middle of Diagon Ally.

"We were roommates so we knew each other quite well and then in one Charms lesson a few months into our first year she was humming this song and I knew it, we got talking more and it was like bam! We were best friends." Fay told Harry, "We were so close, close enough to fight and argue and then sort it out, to speak our minds about a problem."

"What was she like?" Harry asked, venerability wavering in his voice.

"Your mother was a truly amazing person and I'm not just saying that. She was funny and smart and would speak out when she thought it was right. She wasn't afraid to call people up on their shit yet she still managed to be one of the kindest people I've ever known. She could joke and be serious, hang out and still do her work." Fay laughed slightly, "There was this one time in Slughorn's class, I wasn't the best at potions but your mum got me through it, she was telling me how 'Potter had driven her crazy in Charms, annoying her' when she got so annoyed that the ingredient she was cutting fired across the room and hit Slughorn in the face, she then managed to blame in on him."

"I've heard they didn't get on." Harry laughed, "What was he like?" Harry asked, slightly afraid to hear the answer.

"Truthfully?" Fay asked, "When I first met your dad I was, of course, dazzled by his looks, wit and charm. He and Sirius had to be the most charming guys in the school, they had it all, looks, brains and charm yet they were arrogant pigs. So full of themselves and Lily couldn't stand that but after I actually got to know them I realised it was a sort of defence mechanism, they'd rather be viewed as hot arrogant pigs than for people to actually have people know that Sirius's family were screwed up or James was actually a decent person. Then in seventh year he came back and he'd changed slightly, he was still fun loving, charming and happy but he was less arrogant and big headed and Lily noticed and actually took the time to get to know him, in the process falling for him even though she swore she never would."

"Why did you leave?" Harry asked suddenly, taking a bite out of the sandwich he'd ordered.

"Because Lily begged me. People were dyeing everywhere, friends of ours because Voldemort wanted to know where Lily and James were, I was next on the list and Lily begged me to disappear, leave, do anything to stay safe." Fay looked down, "Sirius, Remus and James all begged me to leave as well, I was a healer, not a fighter, they knew it and I knew it, I could fight but not half as well as Lily or James, Sirius and Remus or any death eater for that matter, if they got me on my own, or with anyone else I'd be dead."

"And you never came back?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore knew where I was and told me as soon as he knew what had happened. Lily, my best friend, and James were dead, Sirius was in Azkaban for their murder and Remus had disappeared into the shadows, unable to deal with what Sirius was supposed to have done. I was in America, not sure what to believe, my parents had died a while back, my best friends were either dead, imprisoned in Azkaban or themselves and I wasn't allowed to raise you. I begged Dumbledore but he said it was best for you to go to the bitchy sister of Lily's. Every year since then I've got him to check in with me, tell me what was going on in the order and how you were, I saw pictures of you growing up, some scrawny mini-James with Lily's eyes." Fay smiled at the image of a younger Harry, "They'd be proud."

"Have you ever thought about moving back here?" Harry asked Fay, looking around Diagon Ally.

"I've thought about it but I love my life in Salem, it may be missing four people but I have a husband and daughter who I love more than anything in this world and you don't need me at all, you have a great life here, friends who were willing to track me down and travel to America just so we could have lunch."

"What happens when I have kids? Become a father? I won't know how." Harry told Fay.

"That's absolute rubbish!" She laughed, "It's not something you can learn from a book, no matter how many are printed, it's something you learn over time, when I had Rose Andrew was terrified, scared that he'd make a terrible dad but the moment he saw her something clicked, sure he was amazing at first but within a month he was great. Besides what are you thinking about? You and Ginny?"

"I always imagined us having kids, I can't picture anyone else in the family portrait." Harry admitted.

"Wow, you really must love her." Fay smiled, "Potters' and their redheads." She joked.

"Were they happy?" Harry asked, feeling stupid for even suggesting they weren't.

"Together they were blissful, even in the ugliness of war." Fay told him, "Here. They're all the best memories I have of your parents, the Charms class we first really talked, the day Lily realised James's had changed, James proposing, their wedding, the day Lily told me, Sirius and Remus she was pregnant, the day you were born, the day I left."

"Thank you." Harry whispered, taking the vile from Fay.

"No problem." Fay whispered.

Harry stood up and hugged Fay and for some reason he felt as if his mother was hugging him in that moment through her best friend, somewhere where she'd always live on.

.......

Harry pulled out the pensive he kept in a cupboard in his flat. It was rarely used, a thin layer of dust had formed on the surface that Harry blew off before pouring the vile into the pensive and diving in...

He was standing in the Charms classroom, watching the scene play out in front of him.

_A young Lily, her striking red hair in two plaits down her back, was sat next to a short blonde girl. Lily was humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like Queen's 'Under pressure' while Fay kept shooting looks at her, as if deciding whether or not she was singing the song she thought she was._

_"Good song." Fay smiled at Lily, "One of their best."_

"_Really? I personally prefer Bohemian Rhapsody and Don't Stop Me." Lily turned to Fay, smiling._

_"I love Don't Stop Me, it just makes you want to stand up and sing and dance along." Fay said, making Lily laugh and nod her head in agreement._

_"Nobody here seems to know who Queen are!" Lily exclaimed._

"_I know! They all like this Wizard group, The Weird Sisters, that have been around for YEARS, Celestine Warbeck, who, in my opinion, should be banished along with her cauldron." Fay cringed at the thought of the singer._

"_It really is terrible." Lily agreed, laughing, "Hannah played me some of it on her wireless and I had to put my hands over my ears!"_

The memory faded until it was replaced by what Harry presumed was the head girl's quarters. It looked very similar to the dormitories except there was only one, one very large four poster bed, a fireplace, a comfy looking seat, a mirror and a desk. Sprawled across the floor was Lily in front of the fireplace, watching the fire dance in the grill, Fay was sat on the bed, books spread out and a look of concentration on her face.

_"Oh for god's sake!" Fay exclaimed angrily, "I hate potions!" _

"_And you want to be a healer...." Lily laughed at her._

_"Oh shut it, it's not like you need it that much for a healer!" Fay said defensively, while Lily rolled her eyes, "When did you do your essay?" she asked._

_"Last night, Potter needed help with his so I did mine at the same time." Lily smiled slightly when she said Potter._

_"I'm sure he needed your help." Fay said, her tone clearly disbelieving._

_"He did!" Lily exclaimed, sitting up slightly, "Why? What are you insinuating?"_

"_Well....you and 'Potter' have been helping each other out a lot recently; sure it's not in more ways than one. I haven't heard you complain about his ego in ages!" Fay teased._

__

"If you're suggesting what I know your suggesting then you're wrong, we're just friends, and besides, his ego's shrunk over the holidays." Lily smiled.

_"Let's hope it's not the only thing that's shrunk." Fay muttered, grinning at Lily cheekily._

_"FAY!" Lily yelled shocked._

"_What! I'm just saying!" Fay shrugged, "You two seem to flirt uncontrollably every time I see the two of you!"_

"_I do not flirt with Potter!" Lily said indignantly._

_"Sure you don't..." Fay laughed._

_There was a knock on the door and Sirius and James popped their heads around the door, "Hey ladies, can we come in?" Sirius asked, wiggling his eyebrows playfully._

"_They can get up the stairs! Cool!" Fay exclaimed happily, "I may have to borrow this room..."_

_"FAY!" Lily said indignantly._

_"Whenever you want Collins." Sirius entered the room and laid on the bed next to Fay._

"_Dream on Black." She pushed him away slightly._

_"Do you still need help with the Transfiguration?" James asked Lily, sitting down next to the fire with her._

_"We did animagus's for OWLS, why do we need to study them again?!" Lily wined, looking at her incredibly short essay._

_"Animagus's are easy." James laughed, sprawling out next to Lily._

_"How?" Lily asked incredulously._

_"Here, I'll emend it." James rolled his eyes, "So there's a Hogsmeade visit next week....want to meet up?" He asked, being careful to stay casually and keep his eyes on his paper._

_"I thought you had an all access pass or something?" Lily asked, turning to look at James and catching his eye._

_"I didn't think the head girl would approve of sneaking out of school." James grinned cheekily._

"_Maybe you should ask her, you might be surprised." Lily whispered back, they were so close now their lips were nearly touching and Harry was suddenly uncomfortable._

_"Smooth..." Sirius whispered loudly, snapping James and Lily out of the trance._

_"Idiot!" Fay whacked Sirius around the back of the head..._

The memory faded and was replaced with two people looking into a window, spying on the occupants of the small flat....

_"One galleon he chickens out." Sirius muttered as they waited for James and Lily to arrive back to their apartment from the dinner he's taken her on. While they'd been out he'd enlisted Sirius and Fay's help to decorate the place. Fay had done most of the work while Sirius had stood there complaining, his only touch was leaving a packed of muggle condoms on the table with a note, 'use them well', a joke for both their sakes though he wasn't too sure if James knew what one was, after all he only did because Fay had told him once. _

"_Deal." Fay whispered, "Why does he have to propose in December, it's so bloody freezing!"_

_"Here." Sirius pulled Fay close and wrapped his large coat around them, lighting a small fire next to the to keep them warm._

_"Ohh look!" Fay whispered excitedly as Lily gasped upon seeing the flat, rose petals and candles dotted around everywhere._

"_Lily Katherine Evans, I've wanted you for as long as I can remember, I've loved you since I knew how to, and now I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You make me a better man, when I'm with you I actually feel worthy of your company, like I deserve you because to me you're perfection. I want kids with you, a black haired baby boy and a red headed girl as beautiful as her mother. I want a life with you, forever so I'm asking you..." James got down on one knee, pulling out a black velvet box and opening it to reveal a diamond ring, "Lily Evans, will you marry me?"_

_"Yes!" Lily answered straight away, "Yes yes yes!" She kept repeating, "Of course I'll marry you!" _

_James stood up and spun her around happily, "I love you so much!"_

_"I love you too." Lily cried slightly, letting James slip the ring onto her finger._

_"Sirius, Fay you can come in." James called out loudly._

"_How...?" Fay muttered, standing up._

_"We're not as stealth as we think." Sirius muttered before pouncing at James, "Prongs my man!"_

_"Oi you owe me a galleon!" Fay told Sirius before running over to Lily and hugging her, "The idiot finally asked!!"_

_"I am standing right here!" James muttered._

_"I take it he asked." Remus smiled as he entered the flat, "Congrats guys!" Remus embraced both his best friends, love seemed to fill the air everywhere, bursting to try and get out..._

Once again the memory changed...

_He was standing outside under a large marquee where guests were all sat, looking up at the small stage. It was all white with red and white flowers in the beautiful gardens. Standing on the podium was Sirius, James and Remus. James was rocking back and forth on his heels nervously waiting for the music to start to play that would signal the start of the ceromany. Looking around Harry saw a number of familiar faces, Professor Dumbledore, Flitwick and McGonagall were all there, as was Kingsley Shaklebolt, Mad Eye Moody, Alice and Frank Longbottom, Molly, who was pregnant, and Arthur Weasley with three red headed children, Bill, Charlie and Percy, other members of the order. Sat in the front row was Peter Petigrew and hate surged through Harry. Sat next to him was a woman that had to be Harry's grandmother on his mother's side, she had the same eyes. He presumed that his father's parents must already have passed away. Some slow music started and Fay walked down the aisle in a red dress, flowers in her hand, a large smile on her face as she reached the stage, next the wedding march started and Lily appeared, walking down the aisle alone in a simple but elegant strapless white gown. James face was one of pure happiness as he saw Lily._

_"Thank you." The priest said as everyone sat down, "We are gathered here today to witness..._

Harry found himself standing in a kitchen, Remus, James, Sirius, Fay and Lily all sat down eating breakfast...

"_So there's something we need to tell you." Lily started._

_"What?" Sirius asked, his mouth full of food._

_"Chew, swallow and then speak!" Fay scolded him, "You eat like you're a dog, it's digusting!"_

_James, Remus, Sirius and Lily laughed loudly, knowing Fay still didn't know they were animagi, "What!?"_

"_Watch," Sirius laughed, standing up and changing into his animal form, making Fay scream in shock before changing back._

_"How long?" Fay asked._

_"Fifth year." James told her proudly._

_"Anyway you were saying before Sirius dazzled us all..." Remus prompted Lily._

"_So you're one too?" She asked James as she already knew about Remus's 'furry little problem'._

"_A stag." James nodded proudly._

"_Jesus guys we're trying to tell you we're pregnant!" Lily exploded, causing silence to overcome the table._

_Sirius finally broke the silence, "We're pregnant? That doesn't make sense."_

_"I am pregnant with his child." Lily explained simply._

"_YES!" Fay yelled happily, hugging Lily tightly, "I'm going to be a godmother!"_

_"Are you?" Lily teased._

"_Oh shut up, why would you rather Petunia?" Fay asked, grimacing at the name._

_"Suppose you'll do." Lily sighed loudly._

_"I can really feel the love here." Fay muttered dryly, watching Remus embrace Lily._

The memory faded and was replaced by St. Mungos waiting room...

"_You'd think since I work here they'd let me in but no!" Fay ranted, pacing up and down the room._

_"Collins chill!" Sirius suddenly yelled, "Your pacing is making me nervous, and when I get nervous it's not good!" _

"_Both of you calm down, everything's probably fine." Remus reassure the two of them._

_"Probably!? Probably?" Fay shrieked slightly._

"_Fay, Lily will be fine, the baby will be fine, James will be fine." Remus stood up and place a reassuring hand on Fay's shoulder as James made his way towards them, an uncontainable smile on his handsome face._

_"It's a baby boy!!" James yelled happily, running into the arms of his awaiting friends, "Harry James Potter, 5Ib 7oz, born at seven twenty pm on the thirty first of July!"_

"_Scrawny git like his dad then." Sirius teased._

_"Don't say that to Lils, she may kill you." James told Sirius, "So, do you want to meet your godson?" He asked him._

_"Hell yes." Sirius practically sprinted to Lily's room, excitement bubbling off him._

_"Let's see him!" Fay grinned, walking over to Lily who had a tiny bundle in a blue blanket, "He's gorgeous, and has your eyes."_

_"He's going to be the spitting image of James." Lily told them._

_"Poor guy, he'll get over that eventually." Remus joked, standing around the bed._

_"Oi, I happen to get the best ladies thank you!" James grinned as he slipped onto the bed next to Lily and cuddled up to her._

_"Picture time." Fay smiled, pulling out a wizarding camera and snapping a few shots of the new family, then some of Sirius and Remus with Harry, some with james in, one of her and Harry and another of her and Lily with Harry._

"_I already love him so much." Lily admitted, "Nothings ever going to happen to him."_

_"Damn right." James murmured, looking down at his wife and son protectively._

Harry could feel tears wetting his eyes as the memory changed so Lily and Fay were stood in a small flat with the rest of their friends minus Peter, bags around Fay, obviously arguing.

_"I can't leave! You're all here!" Fay cried, "Please don't ask me too!"_

"_You know it's best, you'll only end up dying otherwise, you're next on his list, he wants Harry so badly!" Lily cried back at her, tears forming in her eyes, the same eyes she passed to Harry._

"_I can look after myself!" Fay muttered angrily._

_"No you can't! You know fighting isn't your strong point! You know it and I know it, you'd be outmatched!" Lily told Fay, "Please, I am begging you for our friendship, disappear, go somewhere safe, at least until this is over, one way or another." Lily told Fay._

_"What about you?" Fay asked, "Why do you get to fight?!"_

__

"Because he's after my son!" Lily yelled, "Harry, your godson!"

_"Exactly! I want to protect Harry, he's my godson, I love him!" Fay argued._

_"Fay you know it's what's best." Remus said softly, moving forwards for the first time._

_"No!" Fay continued to argue._

_"Please." Sirius said, stepping forwards towards Fay, "We're looking enough people we love, I can't lose another."_

_"Look what happened to Owen just because he was last seen with us he's dead. We're death sentences." James looked down guiltily, "How many more people have to die? Frank and Alice don't even recognise each other, or their son!"_

__

"Stop it!" Fay cried, "Please! I need to stay!"

_"No you don't, go to America! Your dad's there." Sirius told Fay, moving closer to her, "Please...please leave so I know you're safe."_

"_No...no..." Her resolve was becoming weaker and weaker._

_"Please." Remus begged, pulling Fay into a hug, in which Sirius, James and Lily all joined in, encircling her._

__

"If I go I might never see you again." Fay cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.

_"You're more of a sister to me than Petunia ever was." Lily told Fay, "I love you so much."_

"_You're like this younger sister I always wanted." James told her, hugging her, "Stay safe, I love you."_

_"See you later Collins, you know I love you." Sirius hugged Fay so tight she thought he'd crack one of her ribs._

_"Later alligator." Remus grinned, "Love you my little blonde sunshine."_

"_Love you." She told them all picking up the bags that Lily had packed for her._

_"Where are you going?" Lily asked._

_"My dad lives in Boston, it's not far from Salem which is the biggest Wizarding settlement in the US. I'll travel by muggle transport and change then name on my passport." Fay told them._

_"Goodbye Fay Collins, my best friend." Lily hugged Fay tightly._

_"Goodbye Lily Evans Potter, my unofficial sister." Fay smiled slightly, "Promise you'll give Harry a kiss from me every day."_

__

"I promise." Lily smiled a watery smile.

_"Make it look good." She told them, referring to how they'd mess up her apartment so that people would suspect death eaters before turning and changing her appearance so her hair was almost yet black and her hair was longer with a massive side fringe hat covered her face. The picture on the passport for Gale White matched Fay's new transfigure appearance before she left her flat for the last time..._

Harry could feel warm, wet tears forming in his eyes as he pulled his face out of the pensive. The memories of his parents had helped fill the hole in his heart that had been left ever since they'd been killed. Slowly it had started to heal but that last bit of closure was what he wanted, not so he could forget about his parents and all thouse who'd died but so he could move on from it. The memories proves some of the great times they'd had before they'd been taken from this world, just like Fred had, just like Colin and Remus and Tonks had before they too were taken. All he wanted now was to see Ginny so his disaparated from his own flat and into hers.

"Hey." Harry smiled, walking over to the red head that was sat at the table.

"Hi," Ginny sounded different, upset? Angry perhaps?

"What's up?" Harry asked, looking around Ginny to see the latest edition of Witch Weekly.

"So who's Katie?" Ginny asked, showing Harry the page spread on Potter's New Prize....

**  
So please review! x**

**I didn't get 10 review last time so I'm being evil and asking for 15 before I update MWAHHAHAHAHAHA!**


	12. Chapter 12

**So as some of you noticed, once again I was an idiot and put my boyfriend's birthday (29****th**** of July) rather than Harry's! So I have corrected it...**

**Chapter 12.**

"_So who's Katie?" Ginny asked, showing Harry the page spread on Potter's New Prize...._

"Harry Potter, nineteen, has had an unfortunate time when it comes to relationships, firstly he lost best friend Hermione Granger to other best friend Ronald Weasley. He then fell for Ginny Weasley and sources reveal that Potter told people how Weasly was his one true love. Seems as if that love lasted until August of last year. Since then Harry has been spotted with numerous women, using his title as a heartthrob well, the latest being twenty two year old Katie Clarke, a fellow auror." Ginny read from the article.

"What the hell?" Harry picked it up to study photos of him and Katie, at the pub when Harry had asked her out, walking along the beach front, kissing outside her door.

"So are you going to explain what the hell's going on or are you just going to stand there gaping?" Ginny asked coldly, standing up and leaning against a kitchen surface, arms crossed protectively across her chest.

"Why are you getting angry?" Harry asked defensively, "I saw photos of you and Kevin sucking face outside your flat."

"Great, deflect the question rather than just answering!" Ginny muttered, rolling her eyes.

"A bit like you're doing now?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows and walking towards Ginny.

"This is our problem! We don't talk about things, we just deflect!" Ginny told Harry, sighing exasperatedly, "Kevin walked me home that night, the whole team had been out, had a few drinks and I danced with him, he's been flirting with me for a while so when he walked me home we kissed. We haven't talked about it, and I haven't seen him since the match. Your turn."

"We've been sort of friends for a while and when we went out for a drink I asked her out on a date, at the end of the date a kissed her, it wasn't anything special." Harry told Ginny, "When she saw how annoyed I was about seeing the article on you and Kevin you told me she didn't want to get involved with a guy that wanted someone else ad I should go after you."

"That's it?" Ginny asked, uncrossing her arms and letting them fall to her sides.

"That's it." Harry confirmed, taking a few more steps towards Ginny, "I saw my mum's friend today, Fay, we talked about them and she gave me some memories of them. After I saw them I just wanted to see you, you were all I wanted, all I want."

"What happened to taking it slow?" Ginny asked, waling forwards and walking into Harry's arms, which he promptly wrapped around her.

"We're not so good at it." Harry whispered.

"Why fight it?" Ginny asked, reaching up to brush her lips against his and letting him deepen the kiss and pull her even closer.

"I agree." Harry mumbled into the kiss, picking her up and feeling her legs wrap around him as he carried her to the bedroom.

......

"I wonder how it went with Fay and Harry." Hermione wondered, feeling Ron brush his fingers through her bushy brown hair, her head resting in his lap.

"I hope it went well." Ron whispered, "So Harry and Ginny are trying again?" Ron asked Hermione.

"Yeah," She nodded slightly, "I hope they make it work."

"Me too, it hasn't been the same since." Ron admitted.

"I know what you mean." Hermione muttered.

"So I went for a final fitting for my suit today, it fits really well, you'll be extra glad you're marrying a stud like me." Ron grinned cheekily

"Just wait until you see me in my dress." Hermione grinned, "You'll like it."

"I think I'll like taking it off." Ron grinned.

"I'm sure you'll like that." Hermione scoffed slightly.

"So I know we've talked about this before, but how many kids do you want?" Ron asked Hermione, still subconsciously twisting his fingers through her hair.

"Two, a girl and a boy." Hermione smiled, "How about you? Do you still want more?"

"I'll be perfectly happy with two." Ron grinned, "I'm perfectly happy as long as you're happy."

"Wow, throwing in a dash of the chessiness." Hermione teased.

"I'm serious, as long as you're happy I'm happy." Ron grinned.

"Well if it make you feel any better, if you're happy, I'm happy." Hermione told Ron seriously, "When I was younger I used to think that it was stupid to base you're happiness on someone else. I thought that it was foolish to let one person influence your emotions that much...then I fell in love and everything changed."

"You don't regret any of this, do you?" Ron asked, "Falling in love and getting married so young...?"

"No, I mean why wait? I love you, you're the one, what difference does a few years make?" Hermione answered softly.

"Good." Ron smiled.

"Do you?" Hermione asked him.

"Not for one second." Ron grinned.

..........

"So tomorrows back to training." Harry told Ginny, tracing shapes in the smooth skin on her stomach.

"Yeah, then there's the match against France the day after." Ginny muttered, "America won Scotland, Germany beat Poland, Finland won Italy, Brazil won Denmark, Wales won Ireland, Bulgaria won Russia and Australia beat Austria."

"Impressive memory." Harry whispered impressed, kissing Ginny's neck softly and tracing kisses all over her neck and chest.

"Ask me now and I won't have a chance." Ginny laughed, pulling Harry closer so he was on top of her and running her hands through his thick black hair.

"God I've missed you so much." Harry murmured, pulling his lips away from her skin.

"I know the feeling." Ginny muttered, tilting Harry's head up so she could kiss him fully on the mouth.

"So what do we act like tomorrow?" Harry asked her, falling to the side and wrapping his arms around her.

"Do you want to tell people?" Ginny asked Harry, rolling onto her side to look him directly in the eyes so she could tell if he lied.

"I say we tell friends and family and not make a big deal out of it, if or when the press find out we'll just tell them we've decided to try again." Harry told Ginny.

"Sounds perfect, I was going over to the burrow tomorrow night after practice, why don't you come with me? I know my mum misses you so much." Ginny asked Harry, running a hand up and down his abs softly.

"That would be nice." Harry admitted.

"It's a plan." Ginny smiled softly, "Now where were we?" She asked coyly.

"Somewhere around...here." Harry replied kissing her once again on the lips.

.........

Joe grinned at Harry as he entered the apartment early the next morning. The knowing grin of 'I know exactly what you've been up too'. Harry simply rolled his eyes and went for a well needed shower before getting ready for the day. Joe was still sat there grinning when Harry came back out of his room for his breakfast.

"What?" Harry asked innocently, grabbing an apple and beginning to munch on it.

"So....good night?" Joe grinned.

"Me and Ginny are trying again." Harry's grin was uncontainable.

"Nice one!" Joe grinned widely.

"Yep." Harry nodded, "We better get going." Harry told Joe, picking up his keys, wallet and jacket and disaparating to the England Team's practice stadium.

They met up with Harry's team of aurors and quickly secured the stadium before the team arrived, Harry was surprised to see Katie there who quickly explained that she'd finished the case she'd been on before so Kingsley added her to their team as it would be getting a lot more competitive as the competition wore on.

"Katie." Joe smiled at his ex girlfriend, looking as surprised as Harry was to see her.

"Joe, hey." Katie smiled slightly, she'd been doing a pretty good job of avoiding Joe since they'd broken up, an easy task in a department their size.

"The team will be here in a minute." Neville told Harry, "And can I talk to you?" He asked Harry.

"Sure," Harry nodded, "What's up?"

"I've told Kingsley and everything but I'm leaving in a few weeks, McGonagall's offered me a position with Professor Sprout to assist and help her with the teaching of Herbology so I can one day take over." Neville looked so thrilled about this he was practically jumping up and down.

"Seriously!? That's amazing!" Harry was truly pleased for his friend.

"Yeah!" Neville smiled proudly, "I'll also get chance to travel and study different plants around the world."

"Neville this is great." Harry was truly pleased for his friend.

"Thanks Harry." Neville smiled.

"So when do you leave, the first of September or earlier?" Harry asked, "We'll have to go out and celebrate."

"I leave on August twenty fifth so I can set up and plan lessons for before the students come." Neville told him.

"I'm so happy for you." Harry told Neville seriously.

"Thanks."

They made their way back towards the main part of the stadium just as Kevin, Will, Adam and Peter aparated to the stadium, shortly followed by Kendra, Jenny and Ginny who were then followed by Oliver, Damian, Marvin, Alistair and Ian. Harry smiled at them and gave Ginny a little look that seemed to say a hundred things that would stay between them. Kevin rounded them up and they disappeared into the changing rooms quickly. They were on the pitch, running round the pitch a few times to get them warmed up and as their fitness exercise before doing drills, the aurors watching over them.

"Isn't that _'Potter's New Prize' _or whatever?" Kendra asked Ginny as she flew past, halting in mid air.

"Yeah." Ginny muttered, looking down at Katie, slightly jealous of how pretty she was and how she was stood talking and laughing with Joe and Harry.

"Recon their serious?" She asked.

"Oi are you two going to actually practice or sit there and gossip!" Kevin bellowed over at them.

"Well maybe if you passed the ball once in a while!" Ginny shot back.

Kevin glared at her but didn't say anything else, just watched as Ginny and Kendra fell back into their respective places.

"So did you act on my advice?" Katie asked, looking up at Ginny.

"Yeah I did." Harry grinned widely.

"Ohh!" Katie grinned back, "I'm happy for you."

"Hang on, let me get this straight, I've been giving you advice on Ginny for a year and Katie comes along and you suddenly decide to listen?!" Joe asked, shocked.

"My advice is amazing!" Katie joked.

"And since when did you take the high road and convince someone to go for anyone but you?" Joe asked, cringing slightly at how harsh it came out.

"Ouch Joe." Katie looked slightly hurt, "I'm not nineteen anymore, I've changed."

"Evidently." Joe muttered, looking at Katie with an odd expression on his face, "I've got to get to my post."

"What was that about?" Harry asked Katie, watching Joe walked away.

"Joe doesn't like to accept that people can change, if he has an opinion of someone it sticks and you can't change it." Katie rolled her eyes.

"I never really noticed." Harry admitted.

"You don't until you do if you get what I mean?" She asked while Harry looked at her strangely.

"Sort of, It's never a problem until it is." Harry said.

"Yeah." Katie nodded, "He had this idea of me and when I didn't match up it really confused him and messed what we had up a lot."

"He told me that your relationship was never really...traditional." Harry laughed slightly.

"Sounds like a Joe thing to say." She nodded, "Your girlfriend's glaring daggers at me."

"What?" Harry looked up to where Ginny was throwing an incredibly difficult shot at Wood with venom behind it.

"What did she say about the article?" Katie asked.

"Not much, besides she had been headlines the day before so..." Harry shrugged.

"You do know that this is even more boring than the last case I was on." Katie told Harry, sighing and looking around the stadium, as if willing something exciting to happen.

"What was the last case you were on?" Harry asked, frowning slightly and trying to remember that she'd told him.

"Working with muggle relations to try and capture the muggle praying serial killer that was actually a wizard."

"Oh yeah, I remember now! You're so lucky you got that case with all the top dogs." Harry exclaimed.

"Luck of the draw really, they were dishing out assignments and I was late and it was the only case with a few spot, spent a year and a half chasing the sick bastard." A look of hatred flashed through Katie's eyes when she mentioned the killer.

"He got the kiss didn't he?" Harry asked.

"Yeah and he deserved it." Katie muttered.

Ginny glared at Katie and Harry, having a nice little chat while she was up in the sky working her ass off and they were down there acting all friendly. It's not that she didn't mind him having female friends but this was one that he's liked and gone on a date with and kissed, not just a friend. She was so deep in thought she narrowly avoided being knocked out by a bludger again.

"Bloody hell." Oliver breathed, "You really leave it late, is that for dramatic effect or something? Because it worked." He looked a little shaken, obviously waiting for Ginny to be knocked out the air.

"Relax Ollie." She laughed slightly.

"It was incredibly close." He protested, throwing her back the quaffle and letting her fly back to half way before launching another attack.

"Alright!" Kevin bellowed, motioning for the team to come in, "I don't want a long practice because the match is tomorrow and we don't want to be knackered. We'll break off into two teams, tomorrows and reserves however I'll play for the reserves so there's one less chaser meaning you'll have to work harder then we'll call it a day. Play for an hour unless the snitch is caught."

They quickly started on the game, and it was at such a fast pace that the minutes seemed to roll by as the chasers and beaters battles it out with the keepers diving everywhere and the seekers desperately searching for the snitch. The plays were like bullets, fast and intent on their purpose. The bludgers were aimed with perfection; the seekers dived with no fear. It could have been an international final rather than a simple practice. Finally, after forty minutes of the deadly play, Jenny caught the snitch firmly in one hand while toppling off her broom because she'd been so low. The players all flew to the ground and staggered into the changing rooms.

"Wow." Joe breathed, walking over to Harry, "If they play like that tomorrow they'll flatten them."

"Defiantly." Harry nodded.

After about ten minutes most of the guys had left, including Kevin and Oliver. Soon all but Ginny and Jenny had left and Harry went to go and investigate. He knocked on the girls changing room door and Jenny's head popped round, her hair tied in a messy knot, dressed in some clean trackies and a hoodie.

"Just checking if you two were ok, everyone else has left." Harry smiled nervously.

"Gin thinks she's pulled a muscle in her back dodging a bludger and she's really sore." Jenny told him, stepping aside to let him in.

"Hey." Harry smiled, kneeling down to where Ginny was laid face down on a bench, unmoving.

"Fuck off." She mumbled.

"Ouch." Harry smiled, he'd been around enough quidditch injuries to know how cranky she got in pain.

"Seriously, where's Katie?" She asked bitterly, "Not gone off with her yet."

"We were talking." Harry sighed, "Am I not allowed to talk to girls anymore?"

"So you would be fine with me and Kevin having a nice little cosy chat?" Ginny asked, still not moving.

"No, but you know it's not like that. Don't you trust me?" Harry asked, unaware of how awkward Jenny was feeling behind them.

"I do." Ginny mumbled, "She just seems nice and funny and unbelievably beautiful and it's annoying to know you could have had that."

"But you're nice and funny and unbelievably beautiful and I have you." Harry told her.

"I'm just going to...go." Jenny muttered, "See you tomorrow." She practically fled the room, leaving Harry and Ginny alone.

"You're really sweet and you haven't done anything wrong and I'm sat here accusing you and treating you like shit. I'm sorry." Ginny muttered sadly.

"Technically you're laid here and you're in pain." Harry shrugged, "Why don't we get you home into a nice hot bubble bath and a massage and some aches and pains potion before we go to your parents."

"That sounds perfect." Ginny mumbled, wincing as she turned over and tried to stand.

"What've you done?" Harry asked, concerned as how she was wincing.

"It's ok when I walk." Ginny grimaced as they left the changing rooms to the near empty stadium and disaparated to Ginny's flat. Harry ran the bath and dropped some soothing potion into the water while Ginny made two cups of steaming hot chocolate.

"Ok, one friend you would go for if we never met?" Harry asked Ginny, they were asking each other random questions like they used to when they first started their relationship as Ginny soaked in the bath, Harry sat on the outside.

"Joe." Ginny answered, watching Harry's surprised expression, "What?! He's gorgeous and you know it. He's got that whole Clark Kent/Superman look about him, really tall, well muscled with dark wavy hair plus he's a nice person but I don't think we'd ever work."

"Remind me to never leave you two in a room together." Harry joked.

"What about you? Which of my friends do I need to look out for?" Ginny asked.

"Holly, the fact she looks so innocent but is really deadly is quite cool." Harry laughed.

"Weird how we've gone for each other's roommates." Ginny laughed.

"What time are we going to the burrow?" Harry asked, "And which brother's will be there?"

"Erm, mum said that tea will be at six so anytime before and I think Bill and Ron are coming by." Ginny told Harry, "What time is it?" she asked.

"Quarter-to four." Harry grinned, she'd be in the bath since three.

"I'd better get out; I'm expecting a massage mister." She told him, grabbing a towel and wrapping it round her as she got out, wincing less than she previously had.

"Okay, don't put a top or bra on." Harry winked.

"I'm starting to think that this is just a ploy." Ginny said suspiciously.

"Nope." Harry shook his head and went into the kitchen and rifled through the medicine box, searching for the aches and pains potion and muscle relief. When he found them he brought them into the bedroom and placed them on the side before climbing on the bed where Ginny lay with just a pair of jeans on. He straddled her back and rubbed in the two potions, carefully massaging them in, using perfect pressure so he wouldn't hurt her but would be just firm enough.

"Bloody hell you are never moving." Ginny groaned as he soothed the area that was causing her the pain, his hands moving across her back, soothing every area that carried tension.

.......

"We're going to be late." Ginny stated as she looked around the room for her other shoe.

"Whose fault is that?" Harry asked, grinned coyly at her and leaning against the door frame, already showered, changed and ready to go while Ginny searched for her other converse.

"Shut it." Ginny muttered, "Ahhah!" She yelled triumphantly as she spotted the shoe and pulled it on, "ok, ready?"

"Yep." Harry muttered, for the first time in what seemed like years he was going back to the burrow...

**Please review, I'm absoulutly knackered so I'm off to bed after posting this, plus i've a lesson first thing tomorrow! **

**15 reviews s'il vous plait!**


	13. Chapter 13

**So I've decided to end the story here. I thought it was dragging a bit and it was coming to a nice close, thanks to everyone who's reviewed and I hope you've enjoyed reading this!**

**Chapter 13.**

Ginny squeezed Harry's hand tightly before pulling him into the burrow. They headed into the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was busy bustling around making the dinner, knives flying through the air from chopping vegetables and potatoes, the meat cooking safely in the AGA. She turned and dropped the pan of vegetables in her hands which would have fallen to the floor if Harry hadn't had pulled out his wand and summoned them into his own hands.

"Harry!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, rushing forward to barrel him into a hug.

"Mum, I think you're choking him." Ginny said gently, helping pry Molly off Harry.

"What....? When...? How...?" She spluttered, looking from Ginny to Harry.

"We've decided we're giving us another shot." Ginny told Molly softly, "And I thought you'd like it if I invited Harry round, he hasn't had a proper meal for months." Ginny teased, knowing it would send Mrs Weasley into a frenzy.

"Months!? I knew they were overworking you! Sit down dear!" She fussed, making Ginny giggle before going to look for her brothers.

George had also apparently turned up and she found them outside setting the table for dinner, well their girlfriends were setting the tables and Bill, George and Ron were having a gnome boxing match much to the annoyance of Hermione.

"Right hook!" Ron yelled encouragingly to his gone as George swore loudly at his own.

"Harry's inside." Ginny casually mentioned as she walked over to the three of them. Both Bill and George's heads snapped up, looking at her in shock.

"What?" Bill asked, standing up quickly and disappearing into the house, George hot on his heels.

"So are you two good?" Ron asked, standing up and leaving the two gnomes to continue fighting.

"Yeah." Ginny nodded, a smile forming on her face.

"What did you say to them?" Angelina asked, watching where George and Bill had disappeared.

"Told them Harry was inside." Ginny shrugged innocently, "What?!"

"You know they're going to interrogate him!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Best to get it over and done with while Charlie's not here; Harry's always been slightly wary of him plus he's the most protective." Ginny shrugged, "And Percy can't threaten to put him in Azkaban or anything."

"There is some logic in that." Fleur said in her French accent that was no longer so thick.

"Thank you." Ginny smiled.

........

"Harry!" Bill and George made their way over to Harry and slyly dragged him out the kitchen and up the stairs into Bill's old room.

"What...?" Harry asked, looking around.

"We just wanted a small chat." Bill smiled friendlily.

"Yeah, we were just wondering about you and our sister?" George asked innocently.

"Wondering if you were going to break her again?"

"And we know she broke up with you and all that lot and you were hurting but so was she."

"And as her big brothers it's our duty to stop her from getting hurt."

"Which has happened far too many times before."

"It's sort of a problem having six older brothers, five watching on earth, one in the skies."

"So we've decided to draw up some terms in case you are to hurt Ginny in the same way."

"Number 1 – I am entitled to use any Weasley Wizarding Wheeze's product on you, including package shrinker, incredible inching powder and incontinence inducer."

"Number 2 – No grievous bodily harm will be allowed although dropping in a pit of dragons or locking in an Egyptian tomb is ok."

"Number 3 – We're completely serious about all these punishments."

Harry believed them as well, even though they were smiling at him there was a dangerously serious look in their eyes that warned Harry that they would not be happy if Ginny was hurt again.

........

The meal went incredibly well, they talked about everything and anything, the food, as it always was when made by Mrs Weasley, was fantastic and it was starting to feel like the good old days. They all helped tidy away afterwards and George and Angelina were the first to leave. Now, at ten thirty, Bill was in front of the fire, a pregnant Fleur snoozing gently as she rested her head in his lap. Hermione was talking to Mr and Mrs Weasley and Ginny about the wedding and Ron and Harry were outside staring at the stars that shone through the darkness.

"Sort of feels like old times doesn't it?" Ron lent back against the wall of the house, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"Yeah, today it did." Harry agreed.

"So how did it go with Fay?" Ron asked, closing his eyes.

"Amazing, thank you so much for finding her, she just answered all these questions I had about my parents and myself, it's like I can finally move on in a way. They'll always be with me but I feel as if I sort of know them now." Harry looked at Ron earnestly.

"One good thing for all the shit I've done. I know it won't make up for it but I'm hoping it's a start." Ron told Harry honestly.

"It was amazing." Harry told Ron.

"So there's still one question you haven't answered." Ron started, "It's in two weeks and there's no one else I want to be my best man more."

"The answers yes." Harry told Ron.

He knew that even though things weren't completely sorted between them and they weren't as comfortable as they had been before, they were at least moving in the right direction and he knew that if he turned Ron down now he would regret it for the rest of his life and something Ron would resent him for. So he said yes.

........

"Hey Kiddo." Bill said softly as Ginny curled up on the chair adjacent to Bill.

"I'm not a kid." Ginny growled although she was secretly fond of her nickname because it was what all her older brothers called her as she seemed to consider Ron as the same age.

"You're 19, that's a kid to me." Bill said wisely.

"You're only 30." Ginny laughed.

"I have an almost one year old daughter and four month pregnant wife." Bill told Ginny.

"How is Victoire?" Ginny asked.

"She misses her ginger aunty." Bill said, raising his eyebrows at Ginny accusingly.

"I prefer the term redheaded and I'm sorry I haven't been round in a while." Ginny looked down, slightly ashamed.

"I know you've been really busy with training and matches and everything else, I think she'll forgive you." Bill smiled gently, "You should know that we're all so proud of you, you're playing for England in the world cup, it's amazing!"

"Thanks." Ginny blushed.

"Hey." Harry entered the room and stood behind Ginny's chair, carefully threading his hands through her hair to play with it.

"Hey." Ginny said, stifling a yawn.

"Tired?" Harry asked.

"Knackered." Ginny admitted.

"Want to go home; you've an early start tomorrow?" Harry asked her.

"Probably should be going." Ginny nodded, standing up, "I'll go say bi to my parents."

"I'll come with." Harry told her, walking into the kitchen where Ron, Hermione, and Mr and Mrs Weasley were sat.

"Hey, we were going to head home, we've an early start tomorrow." Ginny told them.

"What time does the match start?" Ron asked.

"Two." Ginny told Ron, "But I've got to be at the stadium before and then doors open at twelve so...." Ginny shrugged.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then." Ron smiled.

"Thank you." Hermione stood up and hugged Harry tightly.

"It's ok." Harry laughed, letting Hermione go, "It was good to see you again." Harry smiled at Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"It was so good to see you." Mrs Weasley stood up and hugged Harry as if she was afraid it was the last time she'd get to.

"Come on then." Ginny gave her father a kiss on the cheek and her mother a hug before they left the burrow.

"So I think that went well." Harry smiled.

.......

_**Two Weeks Later......**_

"Wake up." Ginny told Harry, shaking him gently to try and stir him, "Wake up sleepy head." She tried again.

"No." Harry mumbled, clutching his head in agony as he rolled over and pulled the other pillow over his head.

"See if you were like me and planned the hen night three days before the wedding you wouldn't be feeling this but no, you did the stag do last night." Ginny teased.

"Be quiet." Harry moaned.

"I'm sat on your bed, fully naked and you've got a pillow over your head." Ginny said in a low, husky voice that made Harry snap awake and look up at Ginny who was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and looked as if she'd been up for a while.

"Hey!" Harry moaned.

"Drink this." Ginny told him, handing him a glass of clear purple liquid, "I bought some yesterday."

"Thank you." Harry looked so helpless and like a pathetic puppy that Ginny laughed as he downed the glass, "Now go get a shower because you reek of alcohol. I'll go over to Ron's and sort him out then over to mine where Hermione is to check she's ok, then go back to the church and check they haven't screwed anything up since I left them and then we'll meet there at ten thirty."

"The hectic life of the maid of honour." Harry sighed.

"Shower now!" Ginny pushed him out the bed and into the bathroom before disaparating.

"**Ron!" Ginny called, walking through the small house that belonged to Ron and Hermione to find her brother passed out on the couch.**

"**Aguamenti****." Ginny muttered, spraying Ron with freezing water that jerked him awake.**

"AHH!" He yelled, falling off the couch.

"You're getting married today and you look like shit." Ginny told him seriously, "Drink this, get up and shower."

"Wha....?" He mumbled, looking up at her stupidly.

"Drink." She ordered, handing him the purple vile.

He downed it easily and waited before his eyes became more awake and alert to his situation, his brain realised what planet it was on and he slowly got up.

"Shower." Ginny told him curtly, "It's nine o'clock and the ceremony starts at eleven."

"Right." Ron nodded, walking away into the bathroom.

"Useless." Ginny muttered before disaparating to her own flat where Hermione was staying.

"Hey." Hermione smiled a little too brightly from nerves.

"Hi." Ginny grinned, "So I've been the church and everything's set up, Ron and Harry are both awake and getting ready and we're meeting them at the Church at ten thirty, well I am, you won't see my dear brother until the ceremony."

"So we should probably go over there and start to get ready." Hermione said, picking up a clothes bag holding her dress and another bag of stuff.

"Yeah, my dress is already there." Ginny told Hermione, "And Luna's over there overseeing what's happening." She said the last bit quickly so that Hermione wouldn't panic.

"Let's go!" Hermione said quickly.

........

"Stay still!" Fleur scolded Hermione as she twisted some of Hermione's curled hair so half was up in a loose knotted bun while the rest cascaded down her back.

"Sorry." Hermione mumbled as Ginny did her makeup.

"Any word from your parents?" Ginny asked as she carefully applied some eyeliner.

"No, I sent them an invite but I don't know if they got it. They'll either come or they won't, it's been over a year and a half though so..." Hermione shrugged, "I'm not going to cry about it again."

"Don't you dare!" Ginny said lightly.

"Luna's turn." Fleur said happily as she turned to the blonde, "For you and Ginny I'm thinking all up in a loose bun with strands around your face."

"Ohh, that sounds lovely." Luna said in her usually dreamy tone.

Fleur set to work on Luna and Ginny's hair, twisting the already curled hair and letting loose strands frame their faces.

There was a knock on the door and Harry popped his head around the door, "Wow." He muttered, seeing Hermione stood in her gown, makeup and hair done.

"What's the betting Ron forgets his cue because he's too busy staring?" Ginny asked Harry.

"Highly likely." Harry smiled, "Hermione you look gorgeous."

Harry walked over and hugged her and Hermione suddenly thought of something, "Will you give me away?" She asked.

"What?" Harry asked, stunned.

"I don't think my dad's here and you're like a big brother to me." Hermione shrugged and looked up at Harry.

"Yes." Harry nodded, still in shock.

"Is everyone out there ready?" Ginny asked Harry, breaking him out of his shocked state.

"Yeah, five minutes." Harry told her, "You look stunning by the way."

"Thank you." Ginny grinned.

"I also tightened security a little so no unwanted visitors can come in." Harry told them.

"Handsome AND useful." Ginny grinned.

"What can I say, I'm amazing." Harry laughed.

"See you in a minute then." Ginny kissed Harry's cheek and watched him leave the room.

"Wow, you too seem to be going great." Hermione smiled, happy for her two best friends.

"Yeah." Ginny nodded, "Ready?"

Yeah." Hermione nodded.

Fleur left the room and went to sit with the rest of the Weasley family. Soon some soft music began to play and Luna and Ginny headed down the aisle, both in strapless emerald green dress's that stopped just above the knee. Hermione, being muggleborn, wanted to keep some of the traditional muggle ways into the ceremony but the actual service would be done by a wizard, the same wizard that had done Bill and Fleur's wedding. The wedding march started and Harry and Hermione headed down the aisle, everyone was stood up and seemed to glow in Hermione's beauty. No one looked more beautiful, more fitting than she did as she headed towards Ron in a while dress.

"We are gathered here today..."

..........

The reception for the wedding was at the Burrow, once again it looked magnificent thanks to the help of Kreatcher who'd worked overtime, cooking, cleaning and preparing so the it would be perfect. Mrs Weasley had helped but hadn't been but through the stress of trying to organise everything as she had at Bill and Fleur's wedding. There were a number a tables set out in the garden under a large marquee in case it rained, thought the weather was perfect. There was one table at the head where Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, Harry, Neville, and Mr and Mrs Weasley were sat. Harry stood up with a glass of champagne in his hand, ready to kick of the speeches.

"Hi, as most of you know I'm Harry. I've known Ron since I first boarded the Hogwarts express, I was the scrawny kid lost in the station and it was the first of many times that the Weasley's helped me. I'd never seen three people with such red hair and I learnt that Ron was just starting Hogwarts too. I boarded the train and heard the two twins, Fred and George promise to send a toilet seat back for Ginny. Did you actually do that?" Harry asked George as a few people chuckled.

"Of course!" George nodded proudly as Ginny blushed.

"So anyway, I was sat on my own and Ron comes in and asked if he could sit with me. We shared sweets but were interrupted by Neville who'd lost his toad...again!" Everyone who knew Neville and Trevor all laughed loudly while Hermione froze, knowing what was coming next, "A few minutes later he comes back again, only this time with a girl. Three guesses who it was. Within five minutes of meeting each other Hermione managed to correct Ron, show off her spellwork, and point out he had dirt on his nose! One thing led to another and we became best friends, going through everything together. It was only after Ron threw suck an almightily sulk when he saw Hermione and Victor Krum together did I piece together there was something going on. Finally, in the middle of a battle, they decide to tell each other, timing was never Ron's strong suit. Since that day they've been inseparable, facing every challenge head on, taking every hit and getting right back up again. To Ron and Hermione." Harry raised his glass as Ginny gave him a playful glare.

"Thanks, now I have to follow that." She muttered standing up.

"You're much better at public speaking than me." Harry whispered back, giving Hermione and Ron a hug before sitting down.

"I never actually thought this day would come, I mean, I love my brother and everything but I never expected him to find someone who'd put up with him! Of course being brother and sister we've been through our fair share of fights and arguments but I'll always remember the time when I realised he'd always be there for me. At the time I was seven and I wanted to go on a broom, wanted to know how to fly but none of my brothers would let me ride any of theirs so I borrowed Ron's at night. I remember soaring through the air and feeling invincible before crashing it into a tree and falling from it. The broom was wreaked beyond repair and I was stuck in a tree at eleven o'clock, once again I'd landed myself in a stupid situation. Then I saw Ron sneaking out to have a go on his broom and saw me. I expected him to scream and shout, I'd broken his favourite toy but instead he helped me down and didn't say anything, just helped me inside and woke mum up. He told her that he'd taken me flying and crashed. She went furious at him so Mum, it was me who snuck out not Ron." Ginny told Mrs Weasley who was laughing softly, "That was the first time Ron looked out for me and ever since then he's done his best to keep me from harm. It was in my second year that I realised the Ron liked Hermione; it was obvious from the way they argued over anything. Now six years later they're getting married and I couldn't be happier, my best friend and my brother, she was everything he needed and he was everything she needed, they're so different they fit. So to Ron and Hermione, Hermione...good luck, you'll need it." Everyone laughed loudly and raised their glasses as Ron blushed scarlet before pulling his little sister into a hug.

The music started back up and people made it back onto the dance area. Harry and Ginny were among them, twirling round to the music, hands never leaving contact with each other skin. Muriel was watching them closely, probably planning what to tell the reporters but at that moment they didn't care, they hadn't said anything that gave away they were a couple, they were just dancing.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Ginny asked, taking Harry's had and leading him away from the guests and around the back of the house.

"Wow, this place holds memories." Harry laughed, looking at the Burrow's wall that they'd been particularly fond of, sneaking out and around the house to this secluded spot which was hidden by either vines or walls so it was private.

"I was fed up of everyone staring at us." Ginny admitted.

"Well when you look as breathtaking as you do, can you blame them?" Harry asked, leaning against the wall and pulling Ginny towards him, "You look amazing."

"You look very dapper." Ginny grinned, "I can see why almost every girl in there was drooling."

"So, the final's in three days." Harry murmured, "After that we can tell people about us."

"If we win." Ginny teased.

"You'll win." Harry reassured her, "Though it may be odd playing against Gwenog and Lydia."

"I'll try not to gloat if we win." Ginny grinned.

"When you win." Harry muttered, kissing her firmly on the lips.

"I love you." Ginny said as she pulled away from Harry, "I never said it enough before and its how I feel, I love you so much it's not natural." She laughed.

"I love you too," Harry smiled, gently caressing her face, "Whatever happens we'll be fine, I know it."

......

_Fin._

......

**So I admit that it was a very corny ending though it still left a lot of questions unanswered. Did Hermione's parents forgive her? Will England win the finale? I guess it's up to you to decide, I've left it open to interpretation.**

**THANK YOU! To everyone who's every reviewed this story, read this story or favourite this story! It means a lot.**

**I'm toying around with an idea for another Harry/Ginny story but it will be very AU if I do! It's along the lines of a non-magic story set in the middle ages. Anyone got any thoughts on it? Would any of you guys read it?**

So the end .... x


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